Rural-serving Community Colleges Can Serve as Cornerstone for Veteran Students

Research article explores opportunities and challenges faced by an increasingly diverse rural U.S. veteran population

BOULDER, Colorado – One in four military veterans live in rural communities, yet more research is needed on how to support their success as students in community college, particularly in rural-serving community colleges, according to a manuscript published in the journal New Directions for Community Colleges.

The article, “Understanding rural veterans: Toward a conceptual framework of service,” was authored by two staff members of the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE) Behavioral Health Program Veteran Initiatives. The manuscript includes a comprehensive literature review examining rural veterans in the United States, particularly in higher education, and develops a framework for community colleges to better understand the needs of their rural veteran populations.

Key takeaways include:

• Nearly 25% of veterans in the United States live in rural communities, and increasingly post-9/11 veterans continue to relocate to rural areas.
• The number of veterans identifying as a racial minority is expected to increase from 26% in 2020 to 39% by 2044, and one in 10 Native-identifying veterans live in rural communities, higher than any other non-white identity.
• An overarching recommendation for improving college access among rural students is utilizing virtual classrooms. However, rural veteran students face challenges like a reduced housing allowance for solely attending virtual learning.
• Rural community colleges have tremendous potential for impacting veterans by investing in student clubs, cultural centers, and student support services which show to aid in the retention of students and may also align with the veteran’s transition from military service to civilian life.

The authors offer examples of several promising practices to effectively serve veterans in rural communities and how the success of veteran students can influence the communities in which they live.

“As part of the mission of the WICHE Behavioral Health Program, we seek system improvements to better support and serve the mental health needs of those living in the West,“ said Alves, who serves as director of WICHE’s Veteran Initiatives and who co-authored the manuscript with former Program Manager Sarah Jordon, PhD.

Alves, himself a rural veteran, understands the topic better than most. He served in the U.S. Navy from 2001-05, and he brings 13 years of service to veterans in public and community-led mental health. Previously, Alves served as president of Washington State Chapter for the Farmer Veteran Coalition and programs manager for the Washington State Department of Veterans Affairs. Alves utilized his G.I. Bill and received his bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Oregon and master’s degree in public nonprofit management from The Evergreen State College.

“It is our hope that through this work we can better understand those connected to the Service Members, Veterans, and their Families (SMVF) community, and the unique challenges and opportunities that exist in rural and frontier communities,” Alves said. “It is also our hope that by further exploring tools that increase higher education success among our rural and frontier veterans that will eventually support workforce development.”

The article ($) can be found here: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/cc.20623