Crisis in Rural Community Colleges

 Complete report

Community colleges across the country are plagued with tight budgets- caused in part by state disinvestment and chronic federal underfunding. For rural community colleges, these challenges are even more acute, as their needs are greater and the costs of providing services higher. The COVID-19 pandemic has only deepened the prosperity gap between rural and non-rural communities, and it has left rural community colleges struggling to dig their students out of an ever-deepening ditch. Prior to COVID-19, household incomes in rural areas were close to 20% lower than those in non-rural areas. This gap has widened significantly since the onset of the pandemic, which has had an outsized impact on small businesses, agriculture and other industries that are ubiquitous in rural communities.1 

 In the late fall and winter of 2020, COVID cases in nonmetropolitan areas far exceeded cases in cities,2 and when infected, rural communities have worse health outcomes.3 Rural populations tend to be older, and they are more likely to have underlying health conditions. At the same time, they are less likely to be insured, and less likely to have easy access to hospitals or other options for care.4 Although telehealth has emerged as a promising workaround for healthcare shortages, this too proves difficult to implement in rural areas, which are less likely to have access to high-speed Internet.5 

 Vaccine distribution is lagging in rural areas, and as the rollout continues it is anticipated that this challenge will persist, as retail pharmacies (which are rare in rural areas) are expected to play a larger role in future distribution. The endemic poverty, poor health outcomes, and lack of services already causing devastation in rural communities have been compounded by the pandemic, and have taken their toll on rural community colleges and those they serve.