Partner Organizations
The RCCI demonstration (1994-2001) was a partnership among 24 community colleges, MDC, the Ford Foundation and the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC).
The
Ford Foundation
The Ford Foundation
sowed the seeds for RCCI beginning in 1993 by exploring possibilities for
a national demonstration program that combined the goals of rural
development and access to education. Two divisions of the Ford Foundation
– Asset Building and Community Development and Education, Media, Arts
and Culture – have made a multi-year commitment to the program. From
1995 to 1997, RCCI provided funding and technical assistance to nine pilot
colleges in six states. Fifteen additional colleges joined the initiative
in 1997.
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The
Colleges
Each participating college received
an initial grant to support intensive planning by a team representing both
the college and the community. After developing their plans, the colleges
received modest implementation grants to support initiatives in economic
development, access to education, and institutional capacity-building.
Teams attend annual institutes to share learnings, and they receive
on-site consulting from regional and national experts. In addition,
college presidents and team leaders participate in annual forums on policy
and management issues.
Participating colleges are:
Alabama Southern Community College, Monroeville, Ala.
Blackfeet Community College, Browning, Mont.
Coahoma Community College, Clarksdale, Miss.
Danville Community College, Danville, Va.
Fort Belknap College, Harlem, Mont.
Fort Peck Community Colllege, Poplar, Mont.
Hazard Community College, Hazard, Ky.
Laredo Community College, Laredo, Texas
Meridian Community College, Meridian, Miss.
Mountain Empire Community College, Big Stone Gap, Va.
New Mexico State University at Carlsbad, Carlsbad, N.M.
Northern New Mexico Community College, Espanola, N.M.
Phillips Community College, Helena, Ark.
Prestonsburg Community College, Prestonsburg, Ky.
Salish Kootenai College, Pablo, Mont.
Sinte Gleska University, Rosebud, S.D.
Sitting Bull College, Fort Yates, S.D.
Somerset Community College, Somerset, Ky.
Southeast Community College, Cumberland, Ky.
Southeastern Community College, Whiteville, N.C.
Southwest Texas Junior College, Uvalde, Texas
Technical College of the Lowcountry, Beaufort, S.C.
University of New Mexico at Gallup, Gallup, N.M.
Wallace Community College Selma, Selma, Ala.
MDC
The RCCI is managed by MDC,
a nonprofit organization that conducts research and manages demonstration
projects in economic and workforce development. MDC's work includes an
effort to raise policymakers' awareness of rural community colleges.
AACC
The American
Association of Community Colleges conducted documentation and
assessment of RCCI.
Video
Dialog
Video
Dialog Inc. provided video documentation and related media services.