Friday, February 12, 2021

Kevin McClure, associate professor in the Department of Educational Leadership at UNCW’s Watson College of Education, is a founder and director of the Alliance for Research on Regional Colleges, a new research collaborative that seeks to highlight the importance of regional public institutions. ARRC issued its first report, “Strengthening Rural Anchor Institutions: Federal Policy Solutions for Rural Public Colleges and the Communities They Serve” on January 27.

The report, based on a study of 118 rural public colleges and universities, found that COVID-19 has adversely impacted these institutions’ finances, and is endangering the economies, healthcare and upward mobility of the communities they serve.

“Rural public colleges sustain local economies, train workers for high-demand local industries, help build public health infrastructure and provide community access to education, but they are underappreciated and underfunded,” McClure said. “This study uses data to show those contributions and make the case that now is the time for investment.”

Read the full story.