Advising Rural & Small Town Students Ganss CSSA 2020

Outline & Learning Objectives▪ Outline ▪ Introductions ▪ Rural America, education and definitions ▪ Rural community and student characteristics ▪ Working with rural students in an advisi

Advising Rural & Small Town Students

Karen M Ganss, M.S.

Pathway Programs Coordinator College of Engineering and Applied Science

Outline & Learning Objectives

▪ Outline

▪ Introductions

▪ Rural America, education and definitions

▪ Rural community and student characteristics

▪ Working with rural students in an advising/coaching role

▪ Resources, questions and references

▪ After attending this presentation, you should be able to:

▪ Summarize common identities, characteristics, barriers to college, and strengths of rural students

▪ Explain at least two ways to define ‘rural’ as related to place, education, and individuals

▪ Identify how common values/backgrounds of rural students may manifest in an advising setting

▪ List multiple ways in which advisors can improve interactions with rural advisees, leading to

increased retention and graduation

▪ Explore additional resources related to rural education, people, and places

My Background

▪ Childhood & Education

▪ Monte Vista, Colorado

(population ~4,000)

▪ 63 students in graduating high school class

▪ Western Colorado University

▪ Oregon State University

▪ Professional Experience

▪ CU Boulder Engineering

▪ Admissions, CU Boulder & Western Colorado University

▪ Rural health student advising in Utah

▪ Other student affairs roles (10+ years)

Add a Slide Title

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Defining ‘Rural’

▪ U.S Census

▪ ‘Rural’ as any area NOT in an urban area or cluster

▪ Urban (50,000+ people)

▪ Urban cluster (2,500 – 50,000 people)

▪ Rural (less than 2,500 people)

▪ As of 2010, 60 million people, or 19% of the US population

▪ National Center for Educational Statistics

▪ Defines city, suburb, town, and rural

▪ Rural broken down into ‘fringe,’ ‘distant,’ or ‘remote’ by district

▪ 9.3 million U.S students attended a rural school last year

▪ Self-identification

▪ Helpful in advising and qualitative research

Rural Populations (2018-19)

▪ USA

▪ 9.3 million (or about 1 out of 5)

K-12 students attend a rural school

▪ Colorado (2018-19 data)

▪ 82% (or 82/178) of public school

districts are rural

▪ 149/2552 CEAS students attended

a rural CO HS (about 5.8%) https://www.western.edu/rural-schools-map

Characteristics of Rural Areas

▪ Overall Features

▪ Small populations spread over large distances

▪ Isolated, tight-knit communities

▪ Not ‘built up’ with buildings

▪ Slow-paced in lifestyle

▪ Cultural Nuances

▪ Increasing ethnic and racial diversity (21% of rural

citizens are People of Color)

▪ 8% Hispanic

▪ 8% Black

▪ 4% Other

▪ 1% Asian

▪ Traditionally conservative politically

▪ Similar values (like religion) across smaller communities

Characteristics of Rural Areas

▪ Education Deserts

▪ 54% of first-year college students attend

four-year institutions within 50 miles of their home

▪ 5% of four-year institutions (and 22% of

community colleges) are in rural places

▪ More colleges are located in high income, urban

communities

▪ Adult Bachelor’s Degree

Completion

▪ 19% in rural areas, 33% in urban areas (2015)

▪ Yet, more rural people are going to college than

ever before

Rural Student College Enrollment Trends

Rural students are enrolling in college at higher rates than ever, yet overall they still enroll in, and graduate college at lower rates than their urban and suburban peers (Wells, 2019).

College Completion Rates

6 Years after HS Graduation, Class of 2011

College Enrollment Rates

in the First Fall After HS

Graduation, Class of 2017

Persistence Rates from 1 st

to 2 nd Year of College, Class of 2005

Pair & Share

What explanations/thoughts do you have for why rural students enroll in, and persist

in college at lower rates than their peers?

What about specifically at CU Boulder?

Rural Student Characteristics

▪ Low Income

▪ Average U.S rural household income is about $52,000 (2010 Census)

▪ 46% of rural students qualify for free & reduced lunch

▪ May be unaware of financial options and scholarships

▪ First-Generation Status

▪ More likely to be the first in their family to go to college

▪ Often related to lack of adults in rural communities with bachelor’s degrees

▪ Racial & Ethnic Diversity

▪ Rural spaces traditionally homogenous (White)

▪ 21% of rural citizens are People of Color (fast growing in USA)

Rural Student Characteristics

▪ Distance & Size Issues

▪ 54% of first-year college students attend four-year institutions within 50 miles of their home

▪ Culture shock can happen upon arrival to a large institution or community

▪ Financial issues related to college visits, traveling to/from campus

▪ Parent Support

▪ “Brain drain” often leads to a hesitancy of rural adults to send students to college

▪ Supportive parents shown to assist in the college transition process

Rural Student Characteristics

▪ Academic Background

▪ Less access to AP coursework

▪ Recently, much access to concurrent

enrollment

▪ Higher high school graduation rates

▪ Benefits of smaller secondary schools, yet

often lacking college guidance staff

Karen’s Qualitative Research Findings

▪ Unexpected Emotional and Social Transition to College

▪ Fear, nervousness, and surprise in tough transition from high school

▪ Large adjustment due to lack of knowledge of what to expect

▪ Motivations for Enrolling in College

▪ Parental support and mentors, career-driven

▪ Lack of Social and Curricular Involvement

▪ Difficulty making friends, forming social connections

▪ Overly involved in high school, but under involved in college

▪ New Exposure to Diversity and Consciousness of a Rural Identity

▪ For often the first time, identified as ‘rural/small town’

▪ Exposed to new diversity of people, thought, culture

Pair & Share

Which of the rural community and/or rural

student characteristics have you experienced in working with students?

AND – what strengths do you think they bring to a college environment due to their

background?

Common Rural Student Values & Strengths

▪ Hard-working

▪ Tight-knit social capital with community members

▪ Overcoming adversity

▪ Focus on career outcomes

▪ Used to being in a space with people of similar values and mindsets

▪ Flexibility in navigating a new (often larger) college environment

▪ Innovative/engineering mindset in ‘making things work’

▪ Often the ‘first’ (in their family to go to college, to leave their hometown…)

▪ Bring their own culture, background to college spaces

Working with Rural Students in Your Role

▪ Identifying rural advisees

▪ CU-SIS Campus Solutions

▪ Simply ask!

▪ Self-identification

▪ Never heard of the town? Google it!

Working With Rural Students in Your Role

▪ Questions to ask (especially early on)

▪ Where are you from?

▪ Or even better, “I see you’re from _” and then lead into other questions (below).

▪ How was your transition from ‘ ’ to CU and Boulder?

▪ What interests you in ‘insert major’?

▪ What are your summer plans?

▪ Are you headed back home to ‘insert home town’ for the summer?

▪ Tell me about how you’ve found community on campus

▪ Which clubs/organizations are you involved in?

▪ How often are you going home?

▪ How are your parents adjusting to you being away from home?

▪ What are your questions about financial aid or paying for college?

Working With Rural Students in Your Role

▪ Some things to be aware of

▪ Students may lack a community college close to

‘home’ and be unable to take summer courses there

▪ Their home community may not be supportive of

higher education

▪ Transportation may be a major barrier to getting

to/from campus

▪ Students may be experiencing multiple forms of

diversity for the first time during college

▪ They may not know where to go with questions, or

know they have to ask to get support

Working With Rural Students in Your Role

▪ Tips for Advisors and Coaches

▪ Get students connected early to social, tight-knit communities

▪ Residence halls

▪ First-year interest groups/courses

▪ Intentional mentoring programs

▪ Define university jargon, acronyms, and terms for rural students

▪ Ex ‘Bursar’s Office’ ‘liberal arts’ ‘first-generation’ ‘research institution’

▪ These students are used to close relationships with teachers/counselors, so embrace the relationship you may have with them

Working With Rural Students in Your Role

▪ Tips for Advisors and Coaches

▪ Understand the unique barriers to higher education for rural students, as well as the STRENGTHS they bring

▪ Recognize intersecting identities and how they influence the college

journey

▪ Anticipate some distrust towards ‘outsiders’ and really investigate their background and motivation for college

▪ Know support services on campus to offer to aid a student’s success

▪ And most importantly…

▪ ‘once you’ve met one rural student, you’ve met one rural student’ so be

flexible and individualized in your approach

CU Boulder Resources (Rural-Related)

▪ Pre-Collegiate Development Program

▪ Rural outreach in Roaring Fork and Summit County

▪ Student Academic Success Center (SASC)

▪ McNeill Academic Program

▪ TRiO Student Support Services

▪ White Antelope/First Nations Scholarship

▪ Residence Hall Residential Academic Programs

▪ Center for Inclusion and Social Change

▪ First Buffs Program

▪ CU LEAD Alliance partners in academic colleges

▪ Office of Outreach & Community Engagement

Additional Rural Resources

▪ Rural & Small Town Special Interest Group

▪ Free to join with NACAC!

▪ Monthly meetings

▪ Rural resources, research & literature drive

▪ Sign up at http://bit.ly/NACACRuralSIG

▪ Why Rural Matters Report

▪ State-specific data on rural secondary schools

▪ http://www.ruraledu.org/WhyRuralMatters.pdf

▪ Rural Matters Podcast

▪ Sonja Ardoin book

▪ Interactive map of ‘education deserts’ by zip

Pair & Share

What are 1 – 2 takeaways you have from this session to implement in your work with

rural advisees?

Evaluation:

bit.ly/cssa2020

Karen M Ganss, M.S.

Karen.ganss@Colorado.edu 303-735-1858

College of Engineering & Applied Science University of Colorado Boulder

References

Colorado Department of Education (2019) Colorado Education Facts and Figures Retrieved from

https://www.cde.state.co.us/communications/20190412edfactsandfigures.

Marré, A W (2017) Rural America at a glance 2017 (Economic Information Bulletin No 171) Washington, DC:

United States Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service Retrieved from

https://www.ers.usda.gov/webdocs/publications/ 83078/eib-171.pdf?v=42830.

McNamee, T (2019) Social capital in the rural United States and its impact on educational attainment In R D

Bartee & P George (Eds.), Contemporary Perspectives on Social Capital in Educational Contexts (201-219)

Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing, Inc.

Moe, A (2018) Rural and small town America: A data-drive, strategic approach to prospect identification and

college recruitment National Association for College Admissions Counseling.

National Center for Education Statistics (2006) School locale definitions Retrieved from

https://nces.ed.gov/surveys/ruraled/definitions.asp.

National Student Clearinghouse (2019) Tracking Transfer Retrieved from

https://nscresearchcenter.org/signaturereport13/.

Parker, K., Menasce Horowitz, J., Brown, A., Fry, R., Cohn, D., & Igielnik, R (2018) Demographic and economic

trends in urban, suburban and rural communities Pew Research Center Retrieved from

http://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2018

/05/22/demographic-and-economic-trends-in-urban-suburban-and-rural-communities/.

Ratcliffe, M., Burd, C., Holder, K., & Fields, A (2016) Defining rural at the U.S Census Bureau (ACSGEO-1)

Washington, D.C.: U.S Census Bureau, U.S Department of Commerce, Economics and Statistics

Administration Retrieved from https://www2.census.gov/geo/pdfs/reference/ua/Defining_Rural.pdf.

Showalter, D., Hartman, S L., Johnson, J., & Klein, B (2019) Why rural matters 2018-2019: The time is now

Rural School and Community Trust Retrieved from

http://www.ruraledu.org/WhyRuralMatters.pdf?fbclid=IwAR2R90g68BIxLdwzFTKu3WVC7cqDpcQgb_5gprT5xq

xwj2wBrGxD79liwp0.

Wells, R S., Manly, C A., Kommers, S., & Kimball, E (2019) Narrowed gaps and persistent challenges:

Examining rural-nonrural disparities in postsecondary outcomes over time American Journal of Education 126,

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