Alliance for Research on Regional Colleges

We have a new brief available on our website authored by Anna Dodson exploring the role of rural-serving institutions in addressing educational access and attainment gaps in Colorado. The brief looks at the "Colorado Paradox"--the fact that Colorado is one of the most highly-educated states, yet many people born and raised in the state have fairly low educational attainment. Part of the low educational attainment is due to opportunity gaps in rural areas, meaning rural-serving institutions are incredibly important anchor institutions to solve the problem. Read more here: https://lnkd.in/eqzMT7RK ARRC is a research collaborative and resource hub with the mission of increasing appreciation for and understanding of regional colleges and their contributions to opportunity and community wellbeing.

The Chronicle of Higher Education produced a short video, "What Counts as a Rural College?" based on our research on rural-serving institutions. Check out the video, then head over to ruralcolleges.org for more details. https://lnkd.in/dXnuXn-Q

Are you looking for a research-based list of regional public universities? We've got you covered. Cecilia M. Orphan, Ph.D. and colleagues developed one of the first empirically-driven lists of the RPU sector and helped to define what these institutions are about and the students they serve. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/euYsybUA

Did You Know? Regional public universities and colleges (RPUs) are public institutions that are vital postsecondary access points for many Americans. There are 474 RPUs that enroll 3.8 million full-time equivalent students and 5.1 million students (inclusive of part-time students). Research indicates that RPUs are leaders in promoting upward mobility, educating an estimated 47% of bachelor’s-degree-seeking students attending four-year public institutions. Learn more about these important institutions and the students they serve. https://lnkd.in/euYsybUA