Rural Matters

In this episode, Michael chats with Chris Estes, Co-Executive Director of the Aspen Institute Community Strategies Group (Aspen CSG). Together, they discuss recent federal investment in rural areas, why private philanthropy and government need to rethink funding strategies, why rethinking measurement is important, the impact of investing in rural development hubs, and much more. For more information, visit aspencsg.org.

In this episode, Michael chats with Elizabeth “Libby” Jones, Program Director of the Global Health Advocacy Incubator’s Overdose Prevention Initiative (OPI). Together, they discuss OPI’s mission, what they’re working on now, differences between rural and urban issues surrounding the opioid crisis and overdose epidemic, what’s happening at the federal level to address these concerns in rural America, and much more. For more information, visit actionforoverdose.org.

In this episode, Michael chats with returning Rural Matters guest Luke Shaefer, Faculty Director of Poverty Solutions at the University of Michigan, Kohn Professor of Social Justice and Social Policy, professor of social work, and co-author of The Injustice of Place, which explores the legacy of poverty in disadvantaged rural communities across the U.S.

Together, they discuss the impetus and research behind the book, what “disadvantage” truly means in the context of dozens of rural American communities, and much more. This episode is sponsored by Poverty Solutions at the University of Michigan. For more information, visit poverty.umich.edu.  

Order Luke’s book, The Injustice of Place, at bit.ly/3L2vKSw. 

The views stated by podcast guests do not necessarily reflect those of our sponsors.

In the fourth and final installment of our 2023 series with Self-Help Enterprises, Michael chats with the following rural water, housing, and health experts: Tami McVay, Director of Emergency Services at Self-Help Enterprises; Meghan Tosney, Assistant Deputy Director at California’s State Water Board’s Division of Financial Assistance; Eddie Ocampo, Program Director with the Community Sustainability Department at Self-Help Enterprises; and Paul Gosselin, Deputy Director for Sustainable Groundwater Management at the California Department of Water Resources.

Together, they discuss emergency services and response work in California during a period of drought, the nonprofit role in the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act, helping families find viable solutions for safe and affordable drinking water, and much more. 

This episode, and the entire series, is sponsored by Self-Help Enterprises. For more information, visit www.selfhelpenterprises.org. 

The views stated by podcast guests do not necessarily reflect those of our sponsors.

In the fourth installment of our latest series with Ascendium, Michael chats with Dr. Mallory Dwinal-Palisch, Chancellor of Reach University and CEO of Craft Education System, and Mary Wurtz, Policy Analyst at The Council of State Governments Center of Innovation. Together, they discuss their work to bolster the rural public-sector workforce, the power of apprenticeships in advancing rural communities, and much more. This episode, and the entire series, is sponsored by Ascendium Education Group. For more information, visit www.ascendiumeducation.org and www.ascendiumphilanthropy.org.

CSG Launches New Initiative to Expand Civic Sector Apprenticeship Programs in the States: www.csg.org/2022/10/04/csg-launches-new-initiative-to-expand-civic-sector-apprenticeship-programs-in-the-states 

Expanding Rural Apprenticeship in Maine: csg-erc.org/rural-apprenticeship-in-maine 

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In the third installment of our 2023 series with the Self-Help Enterprises, Michael chats with the following rural water, housing, and health experts: Jessi Snyder, Director of Community Development at Self-Help Enterprises; Olivia Gomez, Family Resource Community Liaison at Planada Elementary School District and board member of Self-Help Enterprises and the Planada Community Services District; Patrick Isherwood, Director of Asset Management at Self-Help Enterprises; and Graciela Soto, CEO of Altura Centers for Health.

Together, they discuss the current community services needs in rural communities, needs around infrastructure, health care, and much more. This episode, and the entire series, are sponsored by Self-Help Enterprises. For more information, visit www.selfhelpenterprises.org. 

The views stated by podcast guests do not necessarily reflect those of our sponsors.

In the second installment of our 2023 series with the Self-Help Enterprises, Michael chats with the following rural development experts: Betsy McGovern-Garcia, Director of Real Estate Development at Self-Help Enterprises; Jennifer Gomez, City Manager for the City of Farmersville, California; and Adrianne Hillman, Founder and CEO of Salt + Light Works. Together, they discuss rural housing and community development, rural housing services and partnerships, the connection between rural housing and transportation, and much more. This episode, and the entire series, is sponsored by Self-Help Enterprises. For more information, visit www.selfhelpenterprises.org. 

The views stated by podcast guests do not necessarily reflect those of our sponsors.

In the third and final installment of our 2023 series with the Brookings Institution, Michael chats with Jeffrey West, Executive Director of Education to Employment Partners, where he works to bring people, information, and resources together to improve the quality of educational attainment and career development services in South Texas. Together, they discuss how one partnership, UpSkill Coastal Bend, is helping the region achieve better rural postsecondary and workforce outcomes, how data is working to drive decision-making and action in the region, and much more. Plus, we share a clip from the Brookings Institution’s podcast, Reimagine Rural, hosted by Tony Pipa, Senior Fellow in the Center for Sustainable Development at Brookings. This episode, and the entire series, is sponsored by the Brookings Institution. For more information, visit www.brookings.edu.

Reimagine Rural podcast: www.brookings.edu/reimaginerural

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In the second installment of our 2023 series with the Brookings Institution, Michael chats with Kate Hansen, Senior Policy Associate at the Center for Rural Affairs; Brett Melone, Chief Business Strategies Officer at California FarmLink; and farmers Dan Voss and Max Chavez (interpretation by Carmen Montes, Center for Rural Affairs).

Together, they discuss farming initiatives and stewardship, the role of conservation in farming, small businesses in rural communities, and much more. Plus, we share a clip from the Brookings Institution’s podcast, Reimagine Rural, hosted by Tony Pipa, Senior Fellow in the Center for Sustainable Development at Brookings. This episode, and the entire series, is sponsored by the Brookings Institution. For more information, visit www.brookings.edu.

More information on the topics discussed today can be found at cfra.org/2023-farm-bill-platform. 

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Synopsis: In the third and final installment of our latest series with Ascendium, Michael chats with Emily Labandera, Director of Research at Excelencia in Education, and Cassandra Arroyo, Research Fellow at Excelencia in Education and doctoral student at the University of Michigan. Together, they discuss Excelencia’s research and work to accelerate Latino student success in higher education, the challenges they have—and continue to—overcome, and much more. This episode, and the entire series, is sponsored by Ascendium Education Group. For more information, visit www.ascendiumeducation.org and www.ascendiumphilanthropy.org.

The views stated by podcast guests do not necessarily reflect those of our sponsors.

In the first installment of our 2023 series with the Self-Hep Enterprises, Michael chats with the following rural development experts: Tom Collishaw, President and CEO of Self-Help Enterprises; Peter Carey, former CEO of Self-Help Enterprises and current Management Consultant; and Sergio Cuellar, Independent Consultant for nonprofit organizations. Together, they discuss self-help housing and homebuilding, rural community leadership and development in rural areas, the importance of farmworkers to rural initiatives, and much more. This episode, and the entire series, is sponsored by Self-Help Enterprises. For more information, visit www.selfhelpenterprises.org. 

The views stated by podcast guests do not necessarily reflect those of our sponsors.

In the first installment of our 2023 series with the Brookings Institution, Michael chats with Mark Rembert, Director of Research & Knowledge and the Center on Rural Innovation (CORI). Together, they discuss common misconceptions about rural America, how data and research can combat those misconceptions and deepen the broader understanding of rural America, and much more. Plus, we share a clip from the Brookings Institution’s podcast, Reimagine Rural, hosted by Tony Pipa, Senior Fellow in the Center for Sustainable Development at Brookings. This episode, and the entire series, is sponsored by the Brookings Institution. For more information, visit www.brookings.edu.

CORI: www.ruralinnovation.us 

CORI’s Rural Aperture Project: www.ruralinnovation.us/resources/mapping-and-data-analytics/the-rural-aperture-project/ 

Brookings’ Reimagine Rural podcast: www.brookings.edu/reimaginerural.

The views stated by podcast guests do not necessarily reflect those of our sponsors.

In the second installment of our latest series with Ascendium, Michael chats with the following experts on the intersection of community college and rural economic growth: Dr. Greg Hodges, President of Patrick & Henry Community College; Josh Wyner, Founder and Executive Director of the College Excellence Program at the Aspen Institute; and Ben Barrett, Senior Program Manager with the College Excellence Program at the Aspen Institute. The group discusses how community colleges are advancing rural economic mobility, preparing students for job opportunities, revitalizing rural postsecondary enrollment, and much more. This episode, and the entire series, is sponsored by Ascendium Education Group. For more information, visit www.ascendiumeducation.org and www.ascendiumphilanthropy.org.

The views stated by podcast guests do not necessarily reflect those of our sponsors.

In this episode, Michael chats with Cara James, President and CEO of Grantmakers in Health (GIH), an educational organization dedicated to helping funders achieve better health for all through better philanthropy. Together, they discuss GIH’s work to support rural populations, combatting racial and socioeconomic disparities in rural health, philanthropy’s role in closing workforce gaps in rural communities, and much more. This episode is sponsored by GIH. For more information, visit www.gih.org.

The views stated by podcast guests do not necessarily reflect those of our sponsors.

In this fifth and final episode of our series on the future of investing in rural prosperity, produced in collaboration with the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis and the Federal Reserve Board of Governors, Michael chats with the following experts on achieving rural prosperity in America: Tony Pipa, Senior Fellow at the Center for Sustainable Development at the Brookings Institution; Ines Polonius, CEO of Communities Unlimited, Inc.; and Jen Giovannitti, President and Trustee of the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation.

Together, they discuss how federal policy affects and could further support rural communities, why taking a holistic approach to rural development is key to realizing prosperity, how philanthropy and purposeful rural investment can drive rural economic growth, and much more. This episode, and the entire five-part series, is sponsored by the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis and the Federal Reserve Board of Governors. For more information, visit www.stlouisfed.org.

The views stated by podcast guests do not necessarily reflect those of our sponsors.

In the first episode of our new series with Ascendium, Michael chats with the following experts on working toward stronger educational and workforce outcomes in rural communities: Kirstin Yeado, Program Officer at Ascendium; Jeffrey West, Executive Director of Education to Employment Partners; Dakota Pawlicki, Director of Talent Hubs at CivicLab; Justin Burch, National Director of Workforce and Small Business at Rural Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC); and Will Coppage, Executive Director of the Washington County Economic Alliance.

The group discusses goals surrounding achieving better postsecondary opportunities and outcomes, how they’re utilizing meaningful partnerships and working toward those objectives, creating pathways to educational and professional success, and much more. This episode, and the entire series, is sponsored by Ascendium. For more information, visit www.ascendiumeducation.org.

To learn more about Ascendium’s research projects that address gaps in evidence for rural learner postsecondary education and workforce success, visit www.ascendiumphilanthropy.org/our-grantmaking/building-evidence-to-increase-rural-learner-success.

For more information on the initiatives mentioned by our guests in this episode, please visit the following links: www.rurallearningsystems.org www.upskillcoastalbend.org wceams.com/jobs www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6A816bIruI

The views stated by podcast guests do not necessarily reflect those of our sponsors.

In this fourth episode of our five-part series on the future of investing in rural prosperity, produced in collaboration with the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis and the Federal Reserve Board of Governors, Michael chats with the following experts on achieving rural prosperity in America: Chrystel Cornelius, President and CEO of the Oweesta Corporation; Nikki Foster, Program Officer at the Northwest Area Foundation; Jonelle Yearout, Executive Director of the Nimiipuu Community Development Fund; and Stacia Morfin, Owner of Nez Perce Tourism and Traditional Gift Shop.

Together, they discuss efforts in advancing rural and, specifically, Native prosperity, increased investment in Native community growth, the value of partnerships in working toward rural and Native prosperity, and much more. This episode, and the entire five-part series, is sponsored by the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis and the Federal Reserve Board of Governors. For more information, visit www.stlouisfed.org.

This episode’s guests can be reached at their respective email addresses, as follows: Chrystel Cornelius: chrystel@oweesta.org Nikki Foster: nfoster@nwaf.org Jonelle Yearout: jonelle@nimiipuufund.org Stacia Morfin: nezpercetourism@gmail.com

Congratulations to Chrystel Cornelius for being honored as a Heinz Award winner in the Economy category! Each year, the Heinz Awards recognize individuals making contributions to the arts, the economy, and the environment. Cornelius is one of this year’s six awardees and is being recognized “for her work to return wealth and financial independence to Native lands and people, addressing centuries of disenfranchisement that have led to profound socioeconomic disparities for Native communities.” To read more about Cornelius’ accomplishment, visit www.heinzawards.org/pages/chrystel-cornelius.

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In this episode, Michael chats with Mike Lowers, Senior Customer Success Manager, Central U.S., and Kristin Martinez, Clinical Director, SLP and OT, both of Presence, a digital therapy provider founded in 2009. They discuss school-based teletherapy and how new initiatives and approaches to teletherapy are fostering greater engagement, efficiency, and well-being across the rural school landscape. This episode is sponsored by Presence, presencelearning.com.

In this third episode of our five-part series on the future of investing in rural prosperity, produced in collaboration with the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis and the Federal Reserve Board of Governors, Michael chats with the following experts on achieving rural prosperity in America: Kaying Hang, Senior Vice President of Programs and Partnerships at the Sierra Health Foundation and The Center at Sierra Health Foundation; Tom Collishaw, CEO of Self-Help Enterprises; Jesus Martinez, Director of the Central Valley Immigrant Integration Collaborative; and Susana De Anda, Co-founder and Executive Director of the Community Water Center.

They discuss overcoming challenges in rural affordable housing and infrastructure, building collaborative partnerships, philanthropic efforts, serving immigrants, legislative issues, and much more. This episode, and the entire five-part series, is sponsored by the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis and the Federal Reserve Board of Governors. For more information, visit www.stlouisfed.org.

The views stated by podcast guests do not necessarily reflect those of our sponsors.

In this second installment of our five-part series on the future of investing in rural prosperity, produced in collaboration with the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis and the Federal Reserve Board of Governors, Michael chats with the following experts on investing rural prosperity in America: Noel Poyo, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Community Economic Development at the Treasury Department; Christiana McFarland, Director of the Center for Innovation Strategy and Policy (CISP) at SRI International; and Daniel Paul Davis, Vice President and Community Affairs Officer at the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.

They discuss inclusive development in various types of rural communities, regional collaboration and economic connectivity, advancing shared prosperity in rural America, and much more. This episode, and the entire five-part series, is sponsored by the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis and the Federal Reserve Board of Governors. For more information, visit www.stlouisfed.org.

The views stated by podcast guests do not necessarily reflect those of our sponsors.

In this first episode of a new five-part series on the future of investing in rural prosperity, produced in collaboration with the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis and the Federal Reserve Board of Governors, Michael chats with the following experts on achieving rural prosperity in America: Linda Lobao, Professor Emeritus in Rural Sociology and Distinguished Professor in Food, Agriculture, and Environment Sciences at The Ohio State University; Daniel Lichter, Ferris Family Professor Emeritus of Life Course Studies in the Cornell Brooks School of Public Policy at Cornell University; and Jose Enrique Garcilazo, Head of Regional and Rural Unit at the Center for Entrepreneurships, SMEs, Regions, and Cities at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.

They discuss the role of local governments in achieving rural prosperity, how new immigrant groups may provide a demographic and economic lifeline to depopulating rural areas, the changing racial and ethnic composition of rural America, and the reception of local people and the business community to changing rural demographics. This episode, and the entire five-part series, is sponsored by the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis and the Federal Reserve Board of Governors. For more information, visit www.stlouisfed.org. 

Visit bit.ly/3tIelpx to read Lichter’s article, “Opportunity and Place: Latino Children and America’s Future,” published in The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science.

The views expressed by the podcast guests do not necessarily reflect the views of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, or the Federal Reserve System.

In the final installment of our six-part series on continuing rural postsecondary education and workforce development, produced in collaboration with and supported by the Ascendium Education Group, Michael chats with two education leaders who are doing some amazing work with rural colleges: Jeb Puryear, the Suzanne and Dave Peterson Endowed Professor of Gifted Education at the University of Montana and a former secondary science teacher and program coordinator who primarily studies creativity, talent development mechanisms, and programmatic inequities in educational settings; and Jonathan Plucker, the Julian C. Stanley Professor of Talent Development at Johns Hopkins University and a former elementary school science teacher who studies education policy, creativity, and advanced learning in both K–12 and higher education settings.

Puryear and Plucker discuss place-based education and how it relates to rural education. They dive into the importance of data, the student shift from rural to urban settings, and how rural education programs can help to improve outcomes. Plus, they outline several examples of successful programs (e.g. Appalachian Studies at Appalachian State and The Nebraska Writing Project at the University of Nebraska). This episode, and the entire six-part series, is sponsored by the Ascendium Education Group, whose philanthropy aims to remove systemic barriers faced by certain learners, specifically first-generation students, incarcerated adults, veterans, students of color, and rural community members. For more information, visit ascendiumphilanthropy.org.

In this sixth and final installment of our excellent series, Living in Rural America —2022 and Beyond, produced in collaboration with and supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Michelle discusses the future of rural with three outstanding guests: Dee Davis, Founder and President of the Center for Rural Strategies; David Lipsetz, President and CEO of the Housing Assistance Council (HAC); and Valerie Lefler. Founder and Executive Director of Feonix — Mobility Rising.

Davis discusses the best options for small towns facing economic challenges, the political divide between urban and rural communities and its effect on democratic institutions, and the impact of divergent media in the rural space. Lipsetz talks about the impact of housing issues on health, wealth, and education in rural communities, and how his organization is helping rural communities take advantage of opportunities in this space. Lefler discusses transportation barriers faced by rural communities, the connection between rural healthcare and mobility challenges, and how Feonix is working to provide solutions in these areas. This episode and the entire six-part series is sponsored by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation., the nation’s largest philanthropy dedicated solely to health. For more information on RWJF, visit rwjf.org or on Twitter @rwjf.

In Part V of our six-part series on continuing rural postsecondary education and workforce development, produced in collaboration with and supported by the Ascendium Education Group.

Michelle chats with three education leaders who are doing some amazing work with rural colleges: Cindy Lopez,  Executive Director of Network Engagement at Achieving the Dream, who oversees designated ATD Network services, such as multiyear transformation initiatives for unique groups of colleges that includes minority-serving institutions and regional groups, as well as ATD’s Building Rural Resiliency for the Future of Work project; Meredith Hatch, Director of Network Relations at Achieving the Dream, who provides leadership to identify and scale promising practices for use across the ATD Network of 300+colleges as well as serving as program manager for Building Resiliency in Rural Communities for the Future of Work project; and Monica Clark, deputy director for the Belk Center for Community College Leadership and Research.

Lopez and Hatch discuss how ATD helps colleges build digital skills capacity and supports for low-income rural community college students to enter and have success in earning credentials that prepare them for high-quality jobs, and the importance of equity in college transformation. Clark describes the mission of her organization, the importance of data, the lessons learned from the Rural College Leaders program, and how the Belk Center is building on work that is already happening in North Carolina and nationally to support rural institutions.

This episode and the entire six-part series is sponsored by the Ascendium Education Group, whose philanthropy aims to remove systemic barriers faced by certain learners, specifically first-generation students, incarcerated adults, veterans, students of color, and rural community members. For more information, visit ascendiumphilanthropy.org

Synopsis: In Part V of our six-part series, Living in Rural America, produced in collaboration with and supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Michelle discusses Rural Economic & Cultural Success Stories: Lesson Learned from Thriving Communities, with Dr. Katherine Ortega Courtney and Dominic Capello, the two authors of the landmark book, 100% Community, Ensuring 10 Vital Services for Surviving and Thriving and Matt Probst, medical director of El Centro Family Health and a driving force behind the 100% San Miguel (New Mexico) County Initiative.

Probst discusses how he is helping to lead an effort to combat the current wildfires in New Mexico, the worst in state history. He also details the five activities that all communities should maintain to survive and the five necessary activities to thrive in any community. The panel also talks about the history of 100 Percent Community, which started before the pandemic; how their organization addresses a variety of rural issues; what makes their organization unique; and its processes for enabling success in communities.

This episode and the entire six-part series is sponsored by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the nation’s largest philanthropy dedicated solely to health. For more information on the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, visit rjwf.org

In this episode, the fourth in our six-part series, Living in Rural America, produced in collaboration with and supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Michelle chats with Mil Duncan, Professor Emerita in Sociology at the University of New Hampshire and Senior Fellow at the Meridian Institute. Her work focuses on opportunity and social change in rural communities. Duncan was the founding director of the Carsey Institute at UNH and is the author of Worlds Apart: Poverty and Politics in Rural America. Duncan discusses her research about equity and opportunity in rural America, the historical roots of deep poverty in rural places, and the role of politics as a potential equity change agent. This episode and the entire six-part series is sponsored by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the nation’s largest philanthropy dedicated solely to health. For more information on the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, visit rjwf.org

In this fourth installment of the fabulous series we’re doing in collaboration with and supported by the Ascendium Education Group, Michelle interviews three professionals with hands-on experience collaborating with employers to help rural learners: Dani Douglas, a Research and Policy Associate at the Center on Rural Innovation; Dr. John Fitzsimmons, President of The Foundation for Maine’s Community Colleges; and Joshua Howe, Deputy Executive Director for Workforce Training and Remote Working for the Maine Community College System. Douglas discusses why rural places should care about having tech jobs and businesses in their communities and success stories in rural areas. Fitzsimmons talks about the role of the Maine Advisory Council on remote work and the importance of certification in this space. Howe provides an overview of the Remote Work for Maine program, and the kinds of jobs for which workers are being trained. This episode and the entire six-part series is sponsored by the Ascendium Education Group, whose philanthropy aims to remove systemic barriers faced by certain learners, specifically first-generation students, incarcerated adults, veterans, students of color, and rural community members. For more information, visit ascendiumphilanthropy.org

In this final installment of our fabulous four-part series, Designing Postsecondary Alternatives for Rural Learners, produced in collaboration with and underwritten by PelotonU, Michelle chats with four terrific guests who provide additional perspectives on the rural learning experience: Rocío Rangel, Director of the College Assistance Migrant Program (CAMP) at Eastern Washington University; Drew Garretson, Senior Director of Digital Experience at Ceres Solutions Cooperative; Francis Vigil, Tribal Education Specialist for the National Indian Education Association; and Sarah Saxton-Frump, Co-Founder and COO of PelotonU. Rangel discusses whether the current k-12 education system serves migrant farmworker students and the gaps in existing higher education programs in serving these learners. Garretson talks about the major employment challenges associated with rural communities, touching on talent retention strategies; agriculture technology; and creating a successful collaborative and entrepreneurial ecosystem in rural communities. Vigil discusses the impact of rurality on Native American learners and the possible pitfalls of virtual learning. Saxton-Frump talks about how PelotonU is designed to be flexible and supportive, and their hope that this model might help rural learners achieve their college goals This episode and the entire four-part series is sponsored by PelotonU, whose innovative and regionally accredited degree options flip the script on rural education and enable you to fit college around your life rather than fitting your life around college. Try it for six weeks absolutely risk-free and no money down. Visit PelotonU.org to get started.

In our second bonus brief episode of 2022, Michelle is joined by former New Orleans Mayor, and current Biden Administration Senior Advisor and Infrastructure Coordinator Mitch Landrieu to discuss how the President’s $1.2 billion Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will help rebuild rural America. 

Mitch and Michelle begin their discussion by commenting on the poor conditions of America’s rural infrastructure, and how President Biden is keeping his promise to rural Americans to help rebuild. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill has money allotted to assist rural communities with clean drinking water, fixing roads and bridges, increasing broadband internet access, modern wastewater systems, EV charging stations, and affordable electricity.

“You want to design systems that are designed to make people healthy and happy, and bring them together… The President wants to make sure that everybody in rural America knows, not only that he sees them, but that he made a promise to invest in rural America and he is delivering on that promise,’ said Landrieu.

Mitch also discussed the Biden Administration’s Rural Toolkit, which lets people know what programs there are, how much is in them, how to get them, and how to access them. You can find the Rural Toolkit at Build.gov/rural.

Lastly, Michelle and Mitch discussed the Biden’s Administration's focus on fixing transportation in rural America by repairing 15,000 rural bridges, considering public transportation needs, and focusing on high-speed rails connecting communities.  

If you want to listen to our last Bonus Brief with Biden Administration Deputy Secretary Don Graves, click here!

In Part III of our superb series, Designing Postsecondary Alternatives for Rural Learners, produced in collaboration with and underwritten by one of our most exciting new partners, PelotonU. Michelle chats with three terrific guests about pathways for collaboration with rural communities: Laura Wise, Program Director for the Michigan State University College Advising Corps (MSUCAC), which supports college access for low-income, first-generation, and under-represented students; Regan Kelly from TNTP, who oversees academic work and leads teams of experts to support literacy instruction in districts across the state of Tennessee; and Maria Luna-Torres, Project Director at the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, where she manages the implementation of AgriLife’s Rural Student Success demonstration project. Wise discusses the mission of her organization, the challenges she observes when college advisors enter rural communities to support students, and best practices for organizations to follow to more effectively engage with their communities. Kelly talks about the lessons she has learned from her work in Tennessee and tips for success in partnering with rural communities. Luna-Torres touches on lessons learned from her experience as Director of the Rural Student Success Initiative, and how she approaches outreach in a state as large as Texas. This episode, and the entire four-part series, is sponsored by PelotonU, whose innovative and regionally accredited degree options flip the script on higher education and allow learners to fit college around their lives rather than fitting their lives around college. Learners can try it for six weeks risk-free with no money down. Visit PelotonU.org to get started.

In the third installment of our superb six-part series produced in collaboration with and supported by the Ascendium  Education Group, Michelle chats with Leslie Daugherty, Senior Education Designer at the Education Design Lab; Kathy Temple-Miller, Dean of Student Success at Washington State Community College in Ohio; Dr. Dana Cotton, an instructor and Interim Chair of the English, Communications, and Humanities Department at the College of Eastern Idaho; and Joe Davis, a workforce professional with more than 13 years working in rural communities in the Finger Lakes Region in New York. Daugherty speaks to the Education Design Lab’s five community college partners and the four principles of the Lab’s Human-Centered Design Process. Temple-Miller talks about how community colleges can be trusted hubs within their communities and the obstacles rural learners face that need to be overcome, including flexible schedules for adult learners and evening child care options. Davis discusses his role as the Employment and Training Programs Supervisor in Yates County and how he came to partner with Finger Lakes Community College on the BRIDGES project. Cotton talks about how the College of Eastern Idaho serves a large geographic area and how it reached out to communities outside of the Idaho Falls region in the pilot phase. This episode and the entire six-part series is sponsored by the Ascendium Education Group, whose philanthropy aims to remove systemic barriers faced by certain learners, specifically first-generation students, incarcerated adults, veterans, students of color, and rural community members. For more information, visit ascendiumphilanthropy.org

In Part II of our fabulous four-part series we’re producing in collaboration with and supported by PelotonU, called Designing Postsecondary Alternatives for Rural Learners, Michelle discusses decisions rural learners have to make to pursue their educational goals and why and how rural learners choose whether to stay in their communities or leave to pursue education opportunities elsewhere, with three excellent guests: Dr. Marion Terenzio, president of the SUNY College of Agriculture and Technology at Cobleskill; James Decker, who is serving his second term as mayor of his hometown, Stamford, Texas; and Miriam Hoffman, who is studying agribusiness economics at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. Terenzio says it’s important to understand that the community helps shape a university’s agenda with its learners. Her university’s initiative, based on a Thriving College, Thriving Community mindset, helps create regional economic development. The Institute for Rural Vitality at SUNY Cobleskill, with its five Centers, including its important Ag Innovation Center, is having a positive impact on this economic development, which complements the university’s community partnership goals and its superb applied learning capabilities. Decker discusses why he decided to return to his community after college and how leaders can encourage rural residents to return to their communities and help deal with rural community “brain drain.” Hoffman discusses how her college peers perceive her hometown and how it influenced her perception of the value of returning to a rural setting. This episode and the entire four-part series is sponsored by PelotonU, whose innovative and regionally accredited degree options flip the script on higher education and allow learners to fit college around their lives rather than fitting their lives around college. Learners can try it for six weeks risk-free with no money down. Visit PelotonU.org to get started. 

In this first of our four-part series, Designing Postsecondary Alternatives for Rural Learners, produced in collaboration with and supported by PelotonU, Michelle chats with three terrific guests about the latest trends and statistics pertaining to rural learners and rural education, best practices for engaging student support, and actual rural learner experiences: Dr. Van Davis, chief strategy officer with WCET (WICHE Cooperative for Educational Technologies); Matt Newlin, who has 15 years' experience creating equitable pathways for low-income, first-generation students and is currently on the leadership team of the NACAC Rural & Small Town Special Interest Group, and host of the Rural College Student Experience podcast; and Cyndi Gonzalez, a recent rural graduate, who has faced challenges involving paying for community college and lack of accessibility to internet services. Davis describes the importance of geography in shaping higher education opportunity in the United States, the role played by rural-serving institutions, the vexing problem of “higher education deserts,” how online higher education affects rural learners, and the importance of equity in the rural space. Newlin talks about what institutions are missing about the rural student experience in college, such as isolation, and provides several examples of institutions doing a good job of supporting rural students, and the strengths that rural students bring to campus and their peers; Gonzales discusses both her positive and negative experiences as a rural learner, and why she chose PelotonU. This episode and the entire series is sponsored by PelotonU, whose innovative and regionally accredited degree options flip the script on higher education and allow learners to fit college around their lives rather than fitting their lives around college. Learners can try it for six weeks risk-free with no money down. Visit PelotonU.org to get started.

In Part III of this series, Life in Rural America — 2022 and Beyond —

produced in collaboration with and underwritten by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Michelle chats with Ge Bai, Professor of Accounting at the Johns Hopkins Carey Business School and Professor of Health Policy & Management at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health; Keith Mueller, Gerhard Hartman Professor in Health Management and Policy, University of Iowa and Director of the Rural Policy Research Institute and its Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis; and Sally Buck, CEO of the National Rural Health Resource Center. Ge discusses the recent financial challenges and most important issues facing rural hospitals today, such as low occupancy rate. Mueller talks about how rural hospitals can retain the brand of the “blue H” while no longer being dependent on the volumes of inpatient care for their identity. He notes that certain hospitals have been able to achieve “turnarounds” through a variety of measures, including developing a mix of services, collaborating with other institutions in the community and, for new CEOs, totally immersing themselves in the community and meeting their population’s health needs. Buck points out the attributes and best practices that make certain CAHs more financially viable than others, the burnout and turnover conundrum, and how federal programs can improve the financial and quality performance of hospitals in rural communities. This episode and the entire six-part series is sponsored by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the nation’s largest philanthropy dedicated solely to health. For more information, visit rwjf.org or @rwjf on Twitter.

In Part II of our superb six-part series produced in collaboration with and underwritten by the Ascendium Education Group, Michelle chats with three academic researchers who are responsible for the new groundbreaking report published by the Alliance for Research on Regional Colleges, (ARRC) called Introducing Our Nation’s Rural Serving Postsecondary Institutions: Dr. Andrew Koricich, an associate professor of higher education at Appalachian State University and ARRC's executive director; Dr. Cecilia Orphan, an associate professor in the Higher Education Department at the University of Denver, and ARRC’s director of partnerships; and Dr. Alisa Hicklin Fryar, professor of political science at the University of Oklahoma and ARRC’s director of data. The discussion focused on the importance of having a metric for identifying Rural-Serving Institutions (RSIs); the impact of the pandemic on RSIs; the debunking of certain stereotypes surrounding rural areas and race; the undeniable impact of rural colleges; the rise of RSIs in serving communities facing demographic and economic challenges; and rural workforce development. To learn more about ARRC, this incredible project, or view their collection of resources, you can visit regionalcolleges.org or follow them on Twitter (@ARRC_Research) and LinkedIn. This episode and the entire six-part series is sponsored by the Ascendium Education Group. www.ascendiumphilanthropy.org   

Synopsis: Michelle chats with Danielle McGeary, Vice President of HTM for the Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI) and Maggie Berkey, CBET, Senior Biomedical Equipment Technician (BMET) for CommonSpirit Health at the Good Samaritan campus in Nebraska, about AAMI’s innovative BMET Apprenticeship Program. McGeary and Berkey developed this program in collaboration with AAMI’s healthcare technology management community and the U.S. Department of Labor. The two-years program is a hybrid of on-the-job training and education (two college courses). Rural hospitals should consider taking advantage of this landmark initiative not only to help meet their short-term needs without having to retrain existing staff but also to deal with the issue of the long-term aging of the BMET workforce. The minimum eligibility requirements for entry into this nationally registered apprenticeship program, which is about six months old, are either a high school diploma or GED. An entry-level BMET begins at $25 per hour but eventually can make a six-figure yearly income. For more information about hosting or applying for the BMET Apprenticeship Program, visit https://www.aami.org/htm/bmet-apprenticeship.

In Part II of this six-part series — Living in Rural America, 2022 and Beyond —   produced in collaboration with and supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Michelle chats with three experts on how rural America is dealing with the pandemic and other significant issues. Dr. Don Albrecht, Director of the Western Rural Development Center (WRDC), who has published research on the impact of COVID-19 on rural areas; Patrick Woodie, President of the NC Rural Center; and Karen Jackson, President of Apogee Strategic Partners, LLC, a Virginia firm specializing in developing and implementing technology and innovation strategies and programs. Albrecht discusses: why most rural economies have been stagnant or declining for decades, what thriving rural communities look like, and why per capita COVID-19 deaths in rural America are higher than in urban areas. Woodie details how rural business has fared in North Carolina and the importance of access and funding broadband in rural areas. Jackson describes how there has been influx of rural remote workers during the pandemic (a “silver lining” echoed by the other two guests), as well as how rural areas can position themselves at this time to capitalize on post-COVID opportunities. This episode, and the entire six-part series, is sponsored by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the nation’s largest philanthropy dedicated solely to health. Find out more about the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation at rwjf.org or on Twitter, @rwjf.

In the first installment of our six-part series produced in collaboration with and underwritten by the Ascendium Education Group, Michelle chats with Kirstin Yeado, a program officer at Ascendium responsible for strategic grantmaking in support of Ascendium’s Rural Education and Workforce Training program.: Shanell Watson, a program officer with the Woodward Hines Education Foundation, a foundation that has focused on increasing postsecondary access and completion for Mississippi residents since 1995.; Denise Callahan, the Director of Postsecondary Success at The Ford Family Foundation in Oregon; and Allison Pennington, Programs & Strategy Associate for Greater Texas Foundation, a private foundation focused on helping more Texans complete postsecondary credentials. In this first part of our 2022 series — a continuation of our terrific series produced with Ascendium last year — Yeado discusses how her organization seeks to remove obstacles faced by learners from low-income backgrounds, investing in high-quality, actionable research, and implementing evidence-based strategic initiatives for learners. Watson discusses essential tools that funders need to successfully build relationships with partners to implement programs in rural communities and how her organization learns strategies for success through its Get2College programming and grantmaking efforts, such as the Global Teaching Project. Callahan discusses why The Ford Family Foundation focuses almost exclusively on rural communities, why success in education beyond high school is such an important part of the foundation’s work, and the findings from its 2021 report, “Supporting Rural Students in Oregon in High School and Beyond: A Study of College Enrollment, Persistence, Transfer, and Completion Outcomes.” Pennington discusses why Greater Texas Foundation intentionally funds rural communities and highlights examples of successful rural postsecondary education collaboratives in Texas, including Rural College Promise and West Texas Rural Resilience and Opportunity on the High Plains. This episode and the entire six-part series is supported by the Ascendium Education Group. www.ascendiumphilanthropy.org     

Michelle chats about the incredibly important topic of heart health in Rural America with Dr. Jessica Barnes, co-founder and CEO of 20Lighter, LLC, an award-winning cardiometabolic health program targeting inflammation and visceral fat, the holy grail of cardiovascular and metabolic disease; and Irion “Chip” Pursell, M.P.H., R.N., B.S.N., the director of cardiology research at UAMS in Little Rock, Arkansas, and the Principal Investigator of the UAMS Lincoln Project. Pursell describes how the workings of this unique initiative, which is based on a strategy for community engagement and an ultimate goal of improving cardiovascular health in highly underserved areas of the Arkansas Delta. Local engagement is crucial to increase wellness measures and target obesity in a region where economic and health disparities have life-altering consequences for residents, explains Pursell. Dr. Barnes discusses the role 20Lighter plays in the UAMS Lincoln Project, including focusing on proactive engagement of at-risk patients. Her program addresses a medical condition associated with a variety of ailments, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer, and COVID-19. The UAMS Lincoln Project is in progress, with results expected later this year.  Want to learn more about 20Lighter and the UAMS Lincoln Project? Visit 20Lighter.com/ArkansasDelta and UAMS Lincoln Project. 

In Part I of our six-part series, Living in Rural America — 2022 and Beyond, produced in collaboration with and supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Michelle discusses myths and realities of the rural experience today with four experts in this space: John Pender, a senior economist in the Rural Economy Branch of the USDA Economic Research Service; Mark Partridge, Swank Chair of Rural-Urban Policy at Ohio State University; Kai Schafft, professor of  Education and Rural Sociology at Penn State University where he directs the Center on Rural Education and Communities; and Brock Slabach, Chief Operating Officer at the National Rural Health Association. Pender discusses how rural residents and the rural economy are faring during the pandemic compared to metro areas and access to broadband and advanced telecommunication connectivity. Partridge talks about growth patterns, economic policy, federal funding, and technological developments affecting rural areas. Schafft focuses on the rural sociology and the Rural Sociological Society, rural schools and communities, mental health needs, and burnout among superintendent and teachers. Slabach also discusses how the pandemic has dramatically impacted rural health care workforces, population health, and incentives for improving rural health. This episode and the entire six-part series is supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. For more information, visit rwj.org

In the first Rural Matters Bonus Brief of 2022, Michelle and Deputy Secretary of Commerce Don Graves come together again to discuss how rural America is struggling to keep up with inflation and supply chain issues. They begin their conversation discussing how the pandemic has affected global supply chains. “...for the last two years, we have been in this global pandemic. That has had a major impact on the supply chain, not just in this country, but the entire world. And when we shut down in 2020 for the pandemic, it just takes a lot of time to get the economy back online again,” said Graves. Graves covers over the actions that the Biden-Harris Administration have taken to reduce prices, eliminate bottlenecks in the supply chain, and ease access to products and services for consumers. He also speaks on President Biden’s Action Plan for America’s Ports and Waterways, as well as the Administration’s decision to release 50 million barrels of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to lower prices for Americans. Lastly, Michelle and the Deputy Secretary touch on capacity building, and how President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is seeking to improve U.S. infrastructure for the long-term. “It’s our ports, it’s our airports, it’s our highways, it’s our railways, our bridges. Making sure that all across the country the infrastructure that we see, especially in rural areas that has continued to crumble, that we are making the investments that we need... for the long run. That is going to position us to be the most productive country in the globe,” said Graves. If you would like to listen to Michelle and Deputy Secretary Don Graves’ previous conversation on the American Rescue Plan, click here.

In Part VIII, the final segment of this fabulous series we’re producing in collaboration with and supported by the Ascendium Education Group, Michelle chats with Nicholas Hillman, professor in the School of Education at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Hillman’s research examines how finance, policy, and geography shape educational opportunities in the United States. Hillman discusses the goals of his current research effort; the definition of “rural”; how his research team used “commuting zones,” rather than “counties” or “metropolitan areas” to locate rural places; how the team found large enrollment declines among rural “broad-access” colleges but how the opposite was true for selective research universities. This episode and the entire series on rural higher education and workforce development is sponsored by Ascendium Education Group, a nonprofit organization committed to helping learners from low-income backgrounds reach their educational and career goals. For more information, visit ascendiumphilanthropy.org.

Mapping Rural Colleges Links: Main page: https://mappingruralcolleges.wisc.edu/ Report: https://mappingruralcolleges.wisc.edu/documents/sstar_mapping_rural_colleges_2021.pdf Mapping tool: https://mappingruralcolleges.wisc.edu/map

In the final part of our four-part series on rural funding, produced in collaboration with and supported by Thomas USAF, Michelle chats with Thomas Kimsey, President and CEO of Thomas USAF Group, who manages more than $100 Million annually in loan production. Michelle also welcomes Dr. Karama Neal, who is the USDA Administrator for the Rural Business-Cooperative Service. Prior to her time at the USDA, Dr. Neal served as president of Southern Bancorp Community Partners, a nonprofit community development loan fund and financial development organization promoting economic mobility in rural Arkansas and Mississippi. She spent twelve years at Southern and led their small business, consumer and other development lending, consumer and savings focused public policy work, and a variety of financial development services to help low and moderate wealth families and communities build wealth. Finally, Michelle chats with Jacqueline Ponti-Lazaruk, who leads the USDA's Rural Development Innovation Center as the Chief Innovation Officer. She has nearly 13 years of leadership experience at USDA Rural Development, leading the Telecommunications and Water Programs for more than 11 years, and leading critical agency-wide efforts to streamline programs and increase the agency's impact in rural areas. Michelle, Thomas and Dr. Neal chat about promoting competition and strengthening America’s food supply chain, discuss details on the new $800 million allocated to provide economic relief to biofuel producers and renewable fuel markets effected by the pandemic, and how rural lenders work with rural borrowers, and how they interface with USDA Rural Development. During Michelle’s chat with Jacki Ponti-Lazaruk, they discuss some of the challenges that USDA's Rural Development Innovation Center face, the opportunities that have risen out of the pandemic, as well as the future outlook for the program in 2022, and 2023. If you would like more information on the various programs discussed on the podcast, please visit the links below: Biofuel Producer Program: https://www.rd.usda.gov/programs-services/energy-programs/biofuel-producer-program Food Supply Chain Guaranteed Loan Program: https://www.usda.gov/media/press-releases/2021/12/09/usda-launches-loan-guarantee-program-create-more-market Face Shield Story: https://www.rd.usda.gov/newsroom/success-stories/rural-development-project-uses-3d-printing-fight-against-covid-19-spread This episode and the entire four-part series are sponsored by the Thomas USAF Group. With 40 years of experience working in the government guaranteed loan space, Thomas USAF Group is uniquely positioned to offer exceptional services to meet your business needs. For more information, visit www.thomasusaf.com.

In this special episode of Rural Matters, Michelle chats with Brian Alexander, author of the powerful best-selling book, “The Hospital: Life, Death, and Dollars in a Small American Town.”  During the National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health (NOSORH) annual meeting on October 13, 2021, Michelle and Brian were featured speakers for a session they called, “Candid Conversations.”  During this episode, Michelle talks with Brian about his book as told through the lens of a small town hospital in Bryan, Ohio.  The critically-acclaimed book covers how an individual’s race, social/economic standing, and zip code can affect or determine their health and whether or not they can access vital health care services.

"The Hospital shows how fragile our country’s health care was even before the pandemic, and how that fragility affects staff and administration as well as patients."―The Washington Post

Continuing the conversation, Michelle and Brian discuss his take on NOSORH’s National Rural Health Day theme of the 4 R’s: Resiliency, Relationships, Readiness, and Resolve.  They also discuss Brian’s views on the challenges that rural communities and health care face in the future and field questions from listeners.

“Nobody would make this (health care) system 100 years ago. If you start with that… there may be room to say, let’s blow it up. But we need to be honest about what disruptions that would cause. It is 19% of the American economy… the disruption would be enormous. If we are willing to do that, we can have a much better system, but I think that we can start with the commonality that nobody likes it.” - Brian Alexander.

Stay tuned for more Candid Conversations in 2022.  To follow Michelle and today’s guest, you can find them @MRBImpact and @BrianRAlexander on Twitter.  You can also read about NOSORH’s 2021 Community Stars here.

In Part VII of our landmark series on rural higher education and workforce development, produced in collaboration with the Ascendium Education Group, Michelle explores a key issue for rural communities — building transfer and career pathways for rural learners with two experts in the field: Dr. Erica Orians and Dr. Lia Wetzstein. Orians is Executive Director of the Michigan Center for Student Success at the Michigan Community College Association. In her role, Orians supports Michigan’s 28 community colleges in their efforts to improve equitable student outcomes while emphasizing the linkages between policy, practice, and research including rural colleges that serve vibrant communities across the state.  The MCCA has helped lead several statewide transfer initiatives in Michigan including the Michigan Transfer Agreement, the Michigan Transfer Network, and the MiTransfer Pathways. Dr. Wetzstein is the Director of Community College Research Initiatives (CCRI) at the University of Washington. She engages in education equity research on postsecondary education reform, vertical transfer, STEM education, and community college outcomes. She leads CCRI’s equity agenda to enhance degree attainment and living wage careers for low-income learners and minoritized students. The discussion involves important issues in transferring between colleges; lessons learned from the pandemic; a STEM transfer partnership project; and improving rural student transfer success in the rural space. This episode and the entire eight-part series is sponsored by the Ascendium Education Group. For more information, visit ascendiumphilanthropy.org.

In Part VI of this landmark series produced in collaboration with and supported by the Ascendium Education Group, Michelle discusses the challenges and opportunities involved in postsecondary partnerships in rural America with three recognized experts in the field: Dr. Sheila Martin, Vice President for Economic Development and Community Engagement at the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities; Dakota Pawlicki, the Director of Talent Hubs at CivicLab;  and  Dr, Gretchen Schmidt, a Senior Fellow with the National Center for Inquiry and Improvement and a  national leader in higher education transformation. Martin works with university leaders and policy stakeholders to improve university practices related to economic and community engagement. She describes the unique opportunities for building human capital in rural communities and the exciting activities being undertaken by Cooperative Extension at many universities. Pawlicki serves a network of almost 100 local and regional cross-sector partnerships focused on postsecondary attainment and also hosts Lumina Foundation's podcast, Today's Students, Tomorrow's Talent.  He describes why Talent Hubs are an exemplary cross-sector partnerships and CivicLab’s recent launch of a new capacity-building initiative to support rural partnerships. NCII has worked alongside a group of community college leaders in the last year to highlight issues facing rural institutions post-COVID, notes Schmidt, adding how rural colleges, working in collaboration with local communities, can develop and integrate higher education, with financial resources and social services to enable students and residents to thrive and not just survive. This episode and the entire series is sponsored by the Ascendium Education Group. For more information, visit ascendiumphilanthropy.org.

In Part III of our four-part series on rural funding, produced in collaboration with and supported by Thomas USAF, Michelle chats with ChadParker, who has worked with USDA Rural Development for 30 years and is currently serving as the Acting Rural Housing Service Administrator, overseeing all Rural Housing Service’s programs including the Community Facilities Program. She also speaks with Thomas Kimsey, President and CEO of Thomas USAF Group, who manages more than $100 Million+ annually in loan production. In his usual role as the Deputy Administrator of Community Programs, Parker is responsible for Community Facilities Direct Loans, Guaranteed Loans and Grants, Economic Impact Initiative Grants, Tribal College Grants, and the Rural Community Development Initiative. The guests discuss the Emergency Rural Health Care Grant Program and other funding opportunities available from the USDA to assist rural health care facilities. This episode and the entire four-part series are sponsored by the Thomas USAF Group. With 40 years of experience working in the government guaranteed loan space, Thomas USAF Group is uniquely positioned to offer exceptional services to meet your business needs. For more information, visit www.thomasusaf.com .

In Part V of our landmark series on rural higher education and workforce development, produced in collaboration with and supported by the Asscendium Education Group, Michelle chats with Danielle Vetter, Senior Program Officer and Kirstin Yeado, Program Officer, at Ascendium Education Group, both supporting partnerships focused on rural education and workforce training; Emily Cole, a higher education researcher and a Project Director with Sova; and Dr. Allen Pratt, Executive Director of the National Rural Education Association (NREA). The riveting discussion focuses on Ascendium’s research initiatives, including its rural postsecondary education agenda and partnerships; themes and stories that informed the agenda; what rural leaders and communities can take away from the agenda; and NREA’s rural research projects. This episode and the entire series is sponsored  by the Ascendium Education Group, a nonprofit organization committed to helping learners from low-income backgrounds reach their educational and career goals.  For more information, visit ascendiumphilanthropy.org.

Synopsis; In the concluding segment of our four-part  series, Viewing Rural Health, Education, and Business Through an Equity Lens. produced in collaboration with and supported by Grantmakers In Health. Michelle chats with four riveting guests: Ann McMillan, Program Director at Grantmakers In Health (GIH), responsible for access and quality programs; Allen Smart, national spokesperson and advocate for improving philanthropic practice under his group. PhilanthropywoRx; Debby Warren, Executive Director of the Southern Rural Development Initiative (SRDI) and the Community Reinvestment Association of NC;  and Emily Hinsey, Director of Operations and Program Development of Grantmakers In Aging (GIA), the national membership organization of philanthropies amplifying the voices of older people and issues of aging.. McMillan discusses the GIH’s role in advancing health initiatives and how organizations can seek funding from her organization. Smart describes how his organization is helping rural stakeholders deal with the pandemic and the future challenges that will be presenting themselves in the rural space. 

Warren discusses her group’s two-year initiative involving the United Philanthropy Forum, funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to strengthen and expand philanthropic investments that promote rural racial, social economic, and health equity. Hinsey details the key focus areas GIA has been elevating within rural aging philanthropy and some of the strategies that have worked well in this space.  This episode of Rural Matters and the entire series is sponsored by Grantmakers In Health, a nonprofit, educational organization dedicated to helping foundations and corporate giving programs improve the health of all people. Its mission is to foster communication and collaboration among grantmakers and others, and to help strengthen the grantmaking community’s knowledge, skills, and effectiveness. Learn more by visiting www.gih.org

In Part III of our groundbreaking fabulous four-part series on Viewing Rural Health, Education, and Business Through an Equity Lens, produced in collaboration with Grantmakers in Health, Michelle chats with Kim Davis, Senior Advisor (Home Region Team) at the Walton Family Foundation; Shao-Chee Sim, Episcopal Health Foundation’s Vice President for Research, Innovation and Evaluation; Adam Linker, director of programs at the Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust, and Dr. Gary Nelson, President of Healthcare Georgia Foundation, Inc. Nelson describes The Two Georgias Initiative, which represents the Foundation’s focus on rural health and is opening the door to its work on the social determinants of health. Linker talks about a variety of important rural grassroots issues, including supporting rural entrepreneurship, providing innovative transportation solutions, fostering equity. and building more viable economies. Davis describes several innovative projects, including howe a long-time Arkansas business, Delta Dirty Distillery, which is launching a vodka spirit business based on utilizing sweet potatoes on their family-owned farm, and emphasizes the importance of coalition building. Shao Chee Sim details how the Episcopal Health Foundation get involved in addressing rural hospital closures and what the foundation learned from its first commissioned research report on this topic.  This episode of Rural Matters and the entire series is sponsored by Grantmakers in Health, GIH's mission is to foster communication and collaboration among grantmakers and others, and to help strengthen the grantmaking community’s knowledge, skills, and effectiveness. Learn more by visiting www.gih.org

In the second of our fabulous four-part series on Viewing Rural Health, Education, and Business Through an Equity Lens. produced in collaboration with and supported by Grantmakers in Health, Michelle talks with  Heather Dimeris. the Director for the Office for the Advancement of Telehealth (OAT), in the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and a Commander in the United States Public Health Service (USPHS); Marilyn Werber Serafini, director of the Health Project at the Bipartisan Policy Center and an adjunct professor at Johns Hopkins University; Mei Wa Kwong  Executive Director for the Center for Connected Health Policy (CCHP), the federally designated National Telehealth Policy Resource Center; and Walter Panzirer, a Trustee at the Helmsley Charitable Trust and grandson of Leona Helmsley. During the pandemic, Dimeris notes, telehealth expanded exponentially in utilization.  In 2020, health centers saw telehealth visits increase to more than 28 million, equating to a nearly 6,000% increase — with more than 5.7 million of these additional telehealth visits occurring in health centers serving rural communities This increase in telehealth services was possible because of the temporary flexibilities with telehealth reimbursement during the pandemic.  She also discussed the many ways that HRSA is seeking to address equity issues in rural areas in the further expansion of telehealth services, including a focus on tele-emergency care last year and on direct-to-consumer care this year,  in 2021. In addition, just last month, HRSA announced funding more than $19 million in key telehealth investments in rural and underserved communities. (Check out telehealth.hhs.gov for more information about telehealth and broadband resources for both patients and providers.) BPC recently conducted a national survey about lessons learned about telehealth use during the pandemic, Serafini notes, which found that about one in seven people (14%) who used telehealth said they would have sought care in an emergency department or urgent care if telehealth was not available, and that more than half of those people had their primary health issue resolved. The survey also found that consumers are likely to use telehealth in the future as it has served as a valuable tool for accessing routine and preventive care during the pandemic, she adds  Kwong says that the pandemic broadened awareness of telehealth and its breadth of utilization, but adds that  while telehealth is a terrific tool for providing these virtual services, it is important to note that many rural residents do not have the capability to access broadband. Panzirer describes how the Helmsley Foundation is funding needed health projects to address equity access in the rural upper Midwest.  This episode and the entire series is sponsored by Grantmakers In Health (GIH),  a nonprofit, educational organization dedicated to helping foundations and corporate giving programs improve the health of all people. Learn more by visiting www.gih.org

Michelle chats with Mike Shimmens, Executive Director for 3RNET, the nation’s most trusted resource for health professionals in rural and underserved communities, about an increasingly important topic in rural communities: assisting health care professionals to find jobs and careers and helping health care employers to find qualified workers.  In the last four months, Shimmens says, 3RNET is seeing fewer applications from health care professionals, but it’s unclear whether there is just a blip or the result of increasing burnout in this space as the pandemic continues to plague communities. Shimmens notes that many states are experiencing health professional shortages, according to HIPSA scoring that is monitored by governmental primary care offices. If you’re a stakeholder in a rural or underserved area, you may want to look into the J1 visa program, he adds. On a positive note on shortages, Shimmens says, in terms of loan repayment assistance,  there recently has been an infusion of $800 million into the National Health Service Corps, which is available to subsets of health professionals, as well as from state agencies. 3RNET, a nonprofit, is a valuable resource for its members in this area as well, providing educational information and job listings. If you’re an employer that wants to participate in this effort, you can reach out to a 3RNET network coordinator in your state, explains Shimmens. This episode is sponsored by 3RNET. Whether you’re looking for a job or searching for the perfect candidate, 3RNET is here to help. Get started today at 3RNET.org.  

In another special Rural Matters Bonus Brief, Michelle meets with White House Senior Policy Adviser for COVID-19 Equity Dr. Cameron Webb to discuss how COVID-19 and the Delta variant continues to challenge rural America.  “We’ve got so many states now with surges and cases, and it tends to track pretty closely to the vaccine rates in states... It is because this Delta variant is really less forgiving... if you are not vaccinated, you are not protected,” said Webb.

They also discuss how staffing shortages effect the number of beds available in rural hospitals.  As a result of less elective surgeries during the pandemic, rural hospitals have been hit extra hard.  This has resulted in hospitals being forced to cut staffing, leaving some rural residents with less-than-ideal care available to them. 

Dr. Webb talks on his belief that the recent FDA approval of the Pfizer MRNA COVID-19 vaccine will help ease the minds of some remaining individuals that haven’t received the shot yet.  Michelle brings up the misinformation involving vaccines and COVID-19 treatments, and what messengers of information should be trusted.  Dr. Webb suggests trusting local health providers, and the CDC for guidance. 

Lastly, they discuss how the Delta variant impacts children.  “...more kids are being hospitalized... If you think that just because you made it through 2020 just fine doing things a certain way, what I need (for) you to understand is this is a game changing variant, it spreads with twice the transmissibility,” Dr. Webb stated. 

Click the below links to listen to more Rural Matters Bonus Brief episodes with Biden-Harris Administration officials Secretary of Agriculture Thomas Vilsack, Deputy Secretary of Commerce Don Graves, Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland, White House National Climate Advisor Gina McCarthy, Chief Science Officer of COVID Response Dr. David Kessler, Member of the Council of Economic Advisers Heather Boushey, NIH Director Francis Collins, Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo, and Secretary of Labor Martin Walsh.

In the first of our four-part series, Viewing Rural Health, Education, and Business Through an Equity Lens, produced in collaboration with and supported by Grantmakers In Health, chats with an excellent group of practitioners and experts: William Buster, Senior Vice President for Impact at Dogwood Health Trust in Asheville, NC, oversees the foundation’s grantmaking and program-related investments and ensures that the foundation lives up to its goals for diversity, equity and inclusion; Nathan Ramsey, Executive Director of Land of Sky Regional Council and Director of the Mountain Area Workforce Development Board serving Buncombe, Henderson, Madison, and Transylvania Counties; and Tressie White, Program Director at the Montana Healthcare Foundation. Rural and urban families struggling with poverty face the same challenges, from educational opportunities to broadband access, notes Buster. Indeed, with our current labor shortage, it’s important that we ensure that all residents live up to their full potential, Ramsey notes, whether in urban or rural communities. There are clear-cut health disparities in Montana, White says, including that, on average, those in trial communities have a lifespan 20 years shorter than non-native Americans. Her organization helps tribal communities in a variety of areas, including securing grants, providing technical assistance, and developing school-based services. The guests discuss lessons learned from the pandemic and what communities can take advantage of post-pandemic, including access to housing and health care, increased broadband equity, and infrastructure and sustainable enhancements. This episode and the entire series, is sponsored by Grantmakers In Health.

In Part IV of our landmark eight-part series on rural higher education and workforce development, produced in collaboration with and underwritten by the Ascendium Education Group, Michelle chats with an intriguing panel immersed in issues involving the digital rural economy, including Sarah Cacicio, Senior Project Director of Adult Learning at Digital Promise; Cindy Lopez,  Executive Director of Network Engagement at Achieving the Dream; Meredith Hatch, Director, Network Relations at Achieving the Dream; and Mark Rembert, the Director of the Rural Innovation Network at the Center on Rural Innovation (CORI). Almost three-fourths of jobs require at least a minimal degree of digital skills, notes Rembert. There are opportunities for rural residents in this economic transformation, but traditionally rural workers have worked in positions that don’t require that a high degree of digital skills, he adds. CORI is a national nonprofit advancing inclusive rural prosperity through digital economy ecosystems that support scalable entrepreneurship and tech job creation. One way they do that is by focused on developing entrepreneurial programs and working with education institutions to offer digital opportunities in rural areas. Hatch describes how Achieving the Dream is building resiliency in rural areas, by  facilitating program analysis and peer learning that will support adoption of  digital skill-building programs. Those initiatives include coding, cybersecurity, and other training programs to help residents adapt to the digital economy.  Indeed, colleges are now leading the change to create local digital economies in sync with the national economy, says Lopez. This involves partnering with local, regional, and national businesses and investing in training their own faculties on digital skills, she adds. Lopez notes that it’s also critical to expand broadband capabilities in rural communities to enable economic opportunity. Cacicio describes Digital Promise’s adult learning initiative, which is currently researching the use of  micro-credentials (digital certifications that verify learners’ skills) in postsecondary rural communities. Micro-credentials open up opportunities for learners to earn and verify their skills, and have the potential to mitigate existing biases. It’s important to get the learner’s perspectives on micro-credentials and adult learning, she adds. This episode and the entire series on rural higher education and workforce development is sponsored by Ascendium Education Group, a nonprofit organization committed to helping learners from low-income backgrounds reach their educational and career goals. For more information, visit ascendiumphilanthropy.org

This seven-minute Rural Matters Bonus Brief brings Michelle and Secretary of Agriculture Thomas J. Vilsack together again for a discussion on how the $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill passed on August 10th in the U.S. Senate will benefit rural communities. “For rural America, this is a very important day. Expanded access to broadband, improved infrastructure, transportation infrastructure, (there is) a lot to like about this bill,” Secretary Vilsack shared.  

They also discuss how this bill addresses the issues that face rural communities in the face of our current climate crisis.  Secretary Vilsack relates how the significant investment in expanded access to broadband will assist rural farmers with precision agriculture, helping them reduce greenhouse gas emissions and make their farming more efficient.  In addition, he mentions how the bill’s focus on greater resiliency in the face of a changing climate will help rural communities through adapting to drought, and mitigating the impacts of wildfires.

Secretary Vilsack and Michelle continue by discussing how improving transportation infrastructure will benefit rural America, allowing for efficiency in an export-dominated economy, as well as how improved public transportation systems will help rural residents access health care and schooling. 

Lastly, they cover how the new infrastructure bill will focus on the importance of eliminating lead in rural America’s drinking water.  “This bill... addresses a problem that has been with us for far too long... So that when we turn on the tap, regardless of where we are turning it on, we have the peace of mind, and assurance that the water we are going to consume, and our families are going to consume, and our children will consume at schools is safe.,” said Secretary Vilsack.

For more discussions on President Biden’s ‘Build Back Better’ plan and how it relates to rural communities, click the links below for previous Rural Matters Bonus Briefs with Biden-Harris Administration officials Deputy Secretary of Commerce Don Graves, Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland, White House National Climate Advisor Gina McCarthy, Chief Science Officer of COVID Response Dr. David Kessler, Member of the Council of Economic Advisers Heather Boushey, NIH Director Francis Collins, Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo, and Secretary of Labor Martin Walsh.

Rural Matters Bonus Brief brings Michelle and Deputy Secretary of Commerce Don Graves together for an in-depth, 20-minute discussion on how the U.S. Economic Development Administration’s American Rescue Plan programs can help rural communities and regions “Build Back Better.” 

Michelle and Deputy Secretary Graves connect over their shared rural roots and passionate understanding of the unique challenges that these communities face after the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. “In order for us to have a strong middle class and economic recovery in this country, we need to make sure that rural and tribal communities have the type of economic recovery that other parts of the country are starting to see… Rural communities have different needs than Urban communities,” said Graves.

Under President Biden’s American Rescue Plan, the EDA has been allocated $3 billion in funding to assist previously underserved communities in their efforts to accelerate economic growth, and to build local economies to be more resilient to global economic impacts in the future. This funding will be available to rural communities through six innovative challenges:

The EDA also recently announced the exciting Coal Communities Commitment, which allocates $300 million to support these hard-hit communities in their recovery, and aid in creating new jobs and opportunities.  

Visit https://www.eda.gov/arpa/ to attend informative webinars, receive technical assistance for the application process, and for more information on how the EDA’s American Rescue Plan programs can help your rural community or region.

For more discussions on President Biden’s Build Back Better plan and how it relates to rural communities, click the links below for previous Rural Matters Bonus Briefs with Biden-Harris Administration officials Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland, White House National Climate Advisor Gina McCarthy, Chief Science Officer of COVID Response Dr. David Kessler, Member of the Council of Economic Advisers Heather Boushey, NIH Director Francis Collins, Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo, and Secretary of Labor Martin Walsh. 

Michelle chats with Dr. Andrew Koricich, associate professor of higher education at Appalachian State University and Alliance for Research on Regional Colleges (ARRC’s) executive director; Dr. Kevin McClure, associate professor of higher education at the University of North Carolina Wilmington and ARRC’s director of communications; and Dr. Alisa Hicklin Fryar, professor of political science at the University of Oklahoma and ARRC’s director of data. The episode focuses on ARRC’s fabulous first report, released in January 2021, Strengthening Rural Anchor Institutions: Federal Policy Solutions for Rural Public Colleges and the Communities They Serve.  Koricich discusses why ARRC was established and the support it receives from the Joyce Foundation. He also notes how rural colleges conduct considerable allied health training, especially during the pandemic. AARC focuses on “underdog” higher education institutions, explains McClure. These institutions, he adds, are invested in their communities and provide valuable civic support. Rural higher education institutions have become one-stop shops for community needs, providing bachelor’s degrees, associate’s degrees, certificates, job training and placement, and community support, such as art programs, notes Fryar. The conversation concludes with the panel discussing policy solutions in various areas, including infrastructure, teacher training, loan forgiveness, and establishing a rural-serving institution designation. This episode is sponsored by the Alliance for Research on Regional Colleges, https://www.regionalcolleges.org

In this 100th episode of Rural Matters and the final installment of our four-part series spotlighting rural hospitals, produced in collaboration with and sponsored by the Center for Optimizing Rural Health (CORH). Michelle chats with Pamela Tillman, Hospital Administrator for LifeBrite Community Hospital of Stokes in rural North Carolina, and Dr. Nancy Dickey, CORH’s Executive Director. CORH selects 30 hospitals for the HRSA-funded Vulnerable Rural Hospital Assistance Program. Those chosen for this free program, whose application period closes July 30, will have access to CORH’s team of rural health experts and receive technical support. CORH is working hard to establish depth in hospital leadership, Dickey adds. Tillman’s 14-bed critical access facility had three COVID cases recently as the pandemic surged again in certain areas of the country. Her hospital had to pivot during the pandemic, she notes, to implement telemedicine initiatives that could provide treatment for patients. During the pandemic, Dickey stated that CORH helped hospitals keep up with current regulations and hospital best practices. This episode and the entire four-part series is sponsored by CORH, https://optimizingruralhealth.org

Michelle talks with Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland about President Biden's "Build Back Better Plan," the nation's worsening climate crisis and how it impacts national security.

In Part III of this eight-part series on rural higher education and workforce development, produced in collaboration with and underwritten by Ascendium Education Group, Michelle chats with John Fitzsimmons, president of The Foundation for Maine’s Community Colleges; David Daigler.  president of the Maine Community College System; Justin Archer Burch., national director of Workforce Development at Rural LISC; and Francie Genz, co-principal of the Institute for Networked Communities. Fitzsimmons describes the five basic components of the Foundation’s groundbreaking remote work program: skills training for jobs that can be performed remotely, certificates in the essential skills to be an effective remote worker, a certificate in leading a team remotely, a digital resource library, and a three-credit course in remote work. According to Fitzsimmons, there will come a day when a course in remote work will be an essential component of many academic business programs. About 95 percent of Maine is rural, notes Daigler, and these rural communities have unique challenges in engaging in college life. So it’s important to bring job opportunities directly to rural residents, according to Daigler. Burch discusses how Rural Works addresses equity issues.  including poverty, and the importance of forming a national intermediary to aggregate the initiatives of  major foundations in the rural space and to enable rural resident to “live in place.” Genz explains how her organization brings businesses together from the same industry sector to collaborate with community leaders in making their industry more competitive and building stronger connections between people and jobs. The goal is to create a table where public and private sectors can work effectively together, building stronger regional economies and helping more people get good jobs where they live.  This episode and the entire series on rural higher education and workforce development is sponsored by Ascendium Education Group, a nonprofit organization committed to helping learners from low-income backgrounds reach their educational and career goals. For more information, visit ascendiumphilanthropy.org

In this episode, Michelle talks with Gina McCarthy, White House National Climate Advisor and former EPA Administrator, about the Biden Administration’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Framework.

In Part III of a four-part series on rural hospitals, produced in collaboration with and underwritten by the Center for Optimizing Rural Health (CORH), Michelle chats with Dr. Nancy Dickey, CORH’s Executive Director and Jon Rains, President & Chief Operating Officer and Managing Partner at Carrus Healthcare, which includes Atoka Medical Center in Oklahoma. CORH selects 30 hospitals for the HRSA-funded Vulnerable Rural Hospital Assistance Program. Those chosen for this free program, whose application period closes July 31, will have access to CORH’s team of rural health experts and receive technical support. CORH is working hard to establish depth in hospital leadership. Carrus Atoka is a 25-bed critical access hospital whose goal is to make health accessible and affordable. The keys to success for these kinds of facilities is top-notch leadership and community support, according to Dickey.  CORH provides crucial education in this space, notes Rains. Small hospitals have many challenges because of their size but they also have the opportunity to make things better for both the patients and the community, he adds. COVID taught us that smaller, rural hospitals had the capacity to deal with more acutely ill patients, asserts Dickey, and in the post-COVID era, we should capitalize on this capacity, create a new payment structure, and realize the dangers in closing local hospitals. “Rural hospitals truly save lives,” concludes Rains. This episode and the entire four-part series is sponsored by CORH, https://optimizingruralhealth.org

In Part II of this podcast series on rural economic development and lending, Michelle chats with Thomas Kimsey, President & CEO of Thomas USAF Group, who has closed $4 Billion+ in government guaranteed loans.  Our other guest is Mike Couch, Executive Director of the Central State Hospital Development Authority. Couch was named the National Rural Lenders’ Roundtable’s Borrower of the Year and describes how he and others are developing the former Central State Hospital Campus, an overwhelmingly vacant campus in Milledgeville, Baldwin County, Georgia, with the goal of job creation.  Thomas USAF, along with USDA’s B&I Guaranteed Loan Program, funded the largest project to date, which involved getting support from both the governor and state legislature. With the help of Food Service Partners, the project transformed a former food kitchen into a fully functional USDA-certified food facility. The bottom line — increased sustainability, jobs and a boost for the local economy. Couch concludes by noting that, without Kimsey and Thomas USAF, the project would not have happened. Couch also mentions another USDA funded success story —  a nursing home on the CSH Campus that is dramatically contributing in new jobs and the overall economic health of the local community. This episode is sponsored by Thomas USAF, www.thomasusaf.com.

In Part II of this eight-part series on rural higher education and workforce development, produced in collaboration with and underwritten by Ascendium Education Group, Michelle chats with two thought leaders in education and two community college students: Meghan McCann, senior policy analyst at the Education Commission of the States; Desiree Jones-Smith. senior program manager with the College Excellence Program, where she co-leads the Aspen Prize and the Aspen Rural Community College Success Initiative; William Hendon. a Business Management student at Southern Crescent Technical College; and Matthew Vishino, who is seeking an Associate Degree in Marine Logistics at Western Kentucky Community College.  McCann discusses the very recent ECS report that focused on the motivations for pursuing and the perceived value of postsecondary education and training in rural areas.  In general, while there was a positive view of postsecondary education and training, rural respondents were skeptical about the value of postsecondary education, with the majority indicating that they were not likely to pursue further education in the next five years.  (For more information on the report, Perception of Postsecondary Education and Training in Rural Areas, visit https://www.ecs.org/perceptions-of-postsecondary-education-and-training-in-rural-areas/. Jones-Smith talks about the Aspen College Excellence Program’s  Rural Community College Success Initiative (RCCSI), which is learning from a network of rural community college leaders. That initiative, she says, is studying  the lived experiences of effective rural higher education leaders as they contribute to the success of their students and the rural community members that they live and work alongside. The RCCSI hopes to learn more about what strategies and tactics make a college successful in the rural context. Initial research suggests that many community college leaders realize that their rural and rural-serving institutions have real assets. Effective leaders have an opportunity to honor and support all of the  unique and varied identities and experiences within the rural communities that they serve. , she adds. (For more information, visit https://highered.aspeninstitute.org/team) Vishino says he opted for attending a community college because of its ease of access and its lesser cost than four-yar universities. Hendon says that community college changed his life, from having to deal with dead-end jobs and being a mill worker to acquiring a “higher level of life” by smashing through the proverbial glass ceiling. This episode and the entire series on rural higher education and workforce development is sponsored by Ascendium Education Group, a nonprofit organization committed to helping learners from low-income backgrounds reach their educational and career goals. For more information, visit ascendiumphilanthropy.org

“If you look at people who are unvaccinated, their risk remains substantial.” — Dr. David Kessler, Biden Administration’s Chief Science Officer of COVID Response and former FDA Commissioner. Listen to this 15-minute interview right now.

In Part III of this three-part series on Reimagining Rural Policy, produced in collaboration with and underwritten by the Brookings Institution, Michelle talks with Cheryal Hills, Executive Director of Region Five Development Commission, who has developed dozens of relationships that have secured investments to address critical issues in the rural communities of Central Minnesota and Rob Riley, president of the Northern Forest Center, who has guided the Center to become the respected regional innovation and investment partner it is today. Capacity building involve planning, learning, and adjustment and is a mix of practical application and theory, according to Hills. She describes a fascinating example of how Region Five drove a value-added regional food hub with Sprout, including serving as its fiscal host, co-authoring grants, providing business training and one-on-one technical assistance to food co-ops, co-sponsoring health and wellness mental health workshops to decrease suicide rates, helping to develop microloans, constructing a 10,000 square foot process facility, starting a mobile market, launching a winter indoor farmer’s market with food and art, and providing community supported agriculture shares (CSAs) to low-income veterans  and those in opioid recovery programs. Capacity building is the ability to be nimble in getting  things done, says Riley, and one of the challenges is identifying resources for stakeholders and enabling local communities and residents to build their own capacity in the forest economy in four Northern Forest states of New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. Regional collaboration is key in this area, explains Riley, and that involves connecting people who are otherwise working in isolation to expand broadband capabilities and broader markets, for example, that enables local projects to be scaled.  Hills discusses how EDA could channel funds to distressed rural areas, which could include not just employment and poverty rates but population decline and health outcome data, and develop creative programs for nonprofits and Native American tribes that  reduce match barriers. EDA can support local programs that better position rural areas to access the 25 percent set-aside to build on recreational and tourism opportunities, says Riley. The guests end the episode emphasizing the capabilities of the proposed Rural Partnership Program to be complementary with existing programs and what the future “could be” as opposed to “will be.” This episode and the entire three-part series are sponsored by the Brookings Institution, www.brookings.edu.  

In Part I of this eight-part series on rural higher education and workforce development, produced in collaboration with and underwritten by Ascendium Education Group, Michelle chats with four rural community college presidents:  Lisa Larson, from Eastern Maine Community College; Chad Brown, 

from Zane State College; Angel Reyna, from Madera Community College; and Jay Falkner, from Carl Albert State College. Intentional integrative planning among  highs schools, community colleges, and four-year colleges, meaningful partnerships, effective dual enrollment programs, and  more proactive engagement with other stakeholders are all keys for community colleges success, says Reyna. Community colleges are still learning what it means to be a community college, says Brown, and one of the goals for community colleges should be changing the mindset of local communities, not just in terms of recruiting students, but also to impact their parents, especially students from minority communities. Larson asserts that it’s never too early to figure out what students’ aspirations are, so summer programs on campus, concurrent educations initiatives and guided pathways are vitally important for getting students connected with employers. Falkner says the community colleges should take a more holistic approach in education, especially as we approach a post-COVID era, including building valuable academic partnerships that include academic preparedness, exam preparation, and professional development for K-12 teachers. All four community college presidents agreed on once critical point: Community colleges play an integral role in rural regional economic success. This episode and the entire series on rural higher education and workforce development is sponsored by Ascendium Education Group, a nonprofit organization committed to helping learners from low-income backgrounds reach their educational and career goals. For more information, visit ascendiumphilanthropy.org 

“We plan to invest up to $100 billion in broadband infrastructure.” —Heather Boushey, Member, Council of Economic Advisers. Listen to this 15-minute interview right now.

In Part II of this three-part series on Reimagining Rural Policy, produced in collaboration with and underwritten by the Brookings Institution, Michelle talks with Gbenga Ajilore Senior Advisor in the Office of the Under Secretary, USDA-RD; Kennedy O’Dell, a Senior Research and Policy Associate at the Economic Innovation Group (EIG), a bipartisan think tank focused on forging a more dynamic U.S. economy; and Erik Stegman (Carry the Kettle First Nation Nakoda),  Executive Director of Native Americans in Philanthropy, a national organization advocating for stronger and more meaningful investments by the philanthropic sector in tribal communities. The guests take a deep dive into the importance of developing rural policy that reflects the diversity of rural America and serving a broader racial equity agenda. Rural myths, such as being predominantly agricultural (today more than 70 percent of the rural economy is service-based) are detrimental to developing successful rural policy, according to Ajilore. It’s important, he notes, to increase infrastructure, including broadband, to enable rural sectors not just to survive but to thrive. Native Americans did not “come to rural,” but rural came to them, Stegman points out, adding that more than 70 percent of Native Americans live off the reservation, as a result of intention federal incentive programs to relocate them, and today the typical experience of native Americans is going between rural and urban areas. It’s difficult to create a system can accurately capture what’s “rural,” but there’s an appetite to find a suitable definition of rural for both policy and research. EIG created a hybrid definition of rural that found that, in 2018, about 2300 counties were classified as rural, which translates into a rural population of about 52.5 million.  In terms of indicators of distress, she says, the average poverty rate in rural areas is nearly 3 percentage points higher than non-rural areas, and rural areas lag in terms of population and employment growth. The largest age cohort in rural areas is 55-64, compared to 25-34 in non-rural areas. In addition, O’Dell points out, terms of well-being and distress indicators, more than 50 percent of black residents and 45 percent of Native Americans lived in distressed counties, compared to 18 percent of rural whites, according to EIG statistics. This is evidence of systemic inequality, and Ajilore says that post-pandemic, the American Jobs Plan and America Families Plan will hopefully address these inequities, making sure the recovery is inclusive, targeting specific resources, including assistance to community colleges and HBUCs.  Stegman notes that the more than 570 federally recognized tribal nations see new opportunity to strengthen their nation-to-nation relationship with  the federal government; while there have been historic underinvestment in federal resource, more than $31 billion was targeted toward tribal nations under the COVID recovery package. O’Dell concludes the conversation by noting that EIG has proposed a Cabinet-level department or National Development Strategy to deal with the fragmented federal approach to rural economic development. This episode and the entire three-part series are sponsored by the Brookings Institution, www.brookings.edu.  

In Part II of a four-part series on rural hospitals, produced in collaboration with and underwritten by the Center for Optimizing Rural Health (CORH), Michelle chats with Dr. Nancy Dickey, CORH’s executive director and Adam Willmann, CEO & President of the Goodall-Witcher Healthcare System in Clifton, Texas. Each year, Dickey notes, CORH selects 30 hospitals for the HRSA-funded Vulnerable Rural Hospital Assistance Program. Those chosen for the free program, whose application periods this year begins June 1, will have access to CORH’s team of rural health experts and receive technical support. Willmann’s hospital participated in the third year of the program, and he noted that the ability to connect with and learn from other hospitals was a major benefit to his institution. (To learn more and apply to the program, visit optimizing-rural-health-dot-org and click application portal.) Willmann has been instrumental in establishing the Rural Texas Health Cooperative with nine other rural hospitals, expanding surgical and psychiatry services and increasing net patient revenue by 164% since 2013. Formerly a 501(c) (3) institution, Goodall-Witcher is now a critical care hospital with nine physicians serving about 24,000 local residents, and is the largest employer in the county, according to Willmann. His hospital and wellness center have been built by finding local health care providers and securing the latest medical equipment, such as scopes for colonoscopies, which, in turn, can attract top surgeons. One of the challenges facing rural hospitals, Dickey says, is that very successful leaders such as Willmann can be sought after by other hospitals, and CORH is working hard to establish depth in hospital leadership. In addition, Willmann says there has been a significant expansion of telehealth services during the pandemic, in part because of the lessening of restrictions, but the pandemic accentuated the lack of broadband capability in rural areas. This episode and the entire four-part series is sponsored by CORH, https://optimizingruralhealth.org

“If we can get our country at a high level of immunization, we can send this virus packing, but it’s going to take all of us.”— Francis Collins, M.D., Ph. D, Director, National Institutes of Health. .Listen to this 15-minute interview right now.

“The President’s Jobs Package provides enough money to make sure that every American, including everyone living in rural America, will have access to high-speed, affordable broadband.” — Gina Raimondo. Listen to our 10-minjute interview with the new Secretary of Commerce right now.

This is the first of our four-part series showcasing rural hospitals, produced in collaboration with and underwritten by the Center for Optimizing Rural Health (CORH). Michelle talks with Dr. Nancy Dickey, CORH’s executive director and David Walker, CEO of George E. Weems Memorial Hospital in Apalachicola, Florida. They discuss how CORH's technical assistance program has helped Weems Memorial Hospital go from almost closing to thriving. The three also detail how to diagnose and overcome the challenges facing rural hospitals, the importance of connecting hospital leadership to training sessions, and how hospitals can identify the best next steps to deal with their particular situations. Walker details how the COVID-19 pandemic has made his hospital even more crucial to the local community. Dr. Dickey notes that overfilled urban hospitals have transferred patients to rural hospitals, which has allowed those hospitals to truly shine. For more information on CORH, visit, www.optimizingruralhealth.org.

"The American Jobs Plan is not about one particular area of the country. This plan is truly an all-American investment in our workers." — Martin Walsh. Listen to our 10-minute interview with the new Secretary of Labor right now.

In this first of a three-part series, Michelle talks with Tony Pipa of the Brookings Institution and Janet Topolsky of the Aspen Institute about the opportunity for the Biden-Harris administration to modernize and improve U.S. policy to support equitable rural development. Drawing upon the landmark report recently published by Brookings, Reimagining rural policy: Organizing federal assistance to maximize rural prosperity, Pipa describes the lack of a coherent federal vision regarding community and economic development in rural areas, with over 400 federal rural programs spanning 13 departments and more than 50 offices and sub-agencies. Topolsky describes  the challenges that any rural community faces trying to navigate the myriad of programs by themselves; rather, she says strengthening “rural development hub” intermediaries can catalyze regional efforts that help communities grow and thrive – as outlined in Rural Development Hubs: Strengthening America’s Rural Innovation Infrastructure. Pipa suggests that the U.S. needs to create a national rural strategy to help rural communities develop and thrive. He emphasizes the importance of locally led development that takes advantage of real-world, on-the-ground knowledge, builds on local assets, and improves equitable outcomes. Topolsky urges lawmakers to make rural a priority and keep in mind the diverse racial and economic contexts that exist in rural. She also reiterates the importance of flexible funding, so local organizations can decide how best to deploy that funding. This episode and the three-part series are sponsored by the Brookings Institution, www.brookings.edu.

Michelle chats with attorneys Ming Wong of the National Center for Lesbian Rights and Michelle Garcia from New Mexico Legal Aid about protecting the legal rights of LGBTQ people in rural areas. There are more than 3 million rural LGBTQ residents, according to Wong. Garcia says that many LGBTQ individuals in rural communities face isolation, which can lead to self-harm or suicide. Wong discusses the efforts in states, such as Arkansas, to use religious exemptions to weaken anti-discrimination laws, both for LGBTQ people and other marginalized groups. Garcia describes the impact of federal protections for LGBTQ communities in rural areas, many of whom do not have legal protections on either the state or local level. Wong encourages interested listeners to contact their federal representatives about the Equality Act, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity. Garcia asserts that it is important to implement equitable policies to ensure all rural residents, including LGBTQ individuals, can live fulfilling lives. This episode is sponsored by the National Center for Lesbian Rights, www.nclrights.org.

Michelle discusses the importance of rural economic development and USDA’s loan programs with two experts in the field: Thomas Kimsey, President & CEO of Thomas USAF and past President of the National Rural Lenders’ Roundtable and Bill Broydrick of Broydrick & Associates, lobbyist for the National Rural Lenders’ Roundtable. Kimsey clarifies the various USDA loan programs that can be utilized by rural businesses, healthcare clinics and local government. Broydrick discusses the importance of nursing home facilities in rural communities. Kimsey also shares several significant success stories of USDA loan recipients. Broydrick elaborates on the importance of financing rural broadband. This episode is sponsored by the Thomas USAF, www.thomasusaf.com.

Michelle chats with several speakers from the Rural Assembly Everywhere conference, taking place April 20-21 with the theme of The Road to Repair. The speakers include Cariel Klein and Travis Coe from the Double Edge Theatre Company and Margaret Renkl, author of Late Migrations: A Natural History of Love and Loss and the upcoming Graceland, at Last: And Other Essays from The New York Times. Klein and Coe discuss the intersection of artistic and justice-focused work. Klein describes how Double Edge Theatre has worked to try to reverse the feelings of isolation many have felt during the pandemic through their socially-distanced shows. Coe describes how experiencing unfamiliar stories through art can be a transformative experience for rural audiences. Renkl discusses the nuanced portrait of the South presented in her upcoming book. She also says that rural communities are especially exposed to the immediate effects of climate change. Renkl talks about the way she code-switches when writing about the rural South for a national audience. For more information on the Rural Assembly Everywhere conference, visit ruralassembly.org/everywhere/.

In the second part of our special two-part series, the Biden-Harris Rural Vision, Michelle talks with Thomas J. Vilsack, the 32nd United States Secretary of Agriculture who has returned to the role he served for eight years under President Barack Obama. Secretary Vilsack highlights the American Rescue Plan sections that benefit rural residents, including increasing food assistance, extending broadband access, strengthening rural hospital infrastructure, and providing housing assistance. Secretary Vilsack discusses the new USDA Equity Commission, which identifies ways for the department to support historically underserved groups, such as farmers of color. Looking forward, Vilsack says, the USDA will work to make the food system more resilient and to improve nutrition in general for rural Americans.

In this first part of our special two-part series, the Biden-Harris Rural Vision, Michelle talks with Will McIntee, the Associate Director of Public Engagement in the White House Office of Public Engagement. The office’s goals are to improve the connection between the federal government and the public and ensure that all constituencies have a seat at the table. McIntee explains that, in many ways, rural communities are the key to the success of the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan. The goal of the program, he notes, is not just to get the country back to normal, but also to return "better" than before the pandemic. The legislation, McIntee notes, includes funding for vaccine education; rural school reopening and remote learning; mental health services and rural healthcare; farmers and food producers; and Native communities and Native health services. McIntee urges listeners to connect with the White House Office of Public Engagement to share success stories and best practices in rural communities. 

Michelle chats with author Ross Benes about his new book, Rural Rebellion: How Nebraska Became a Republican Stronghold. Benes notes the influences of his hometown of Brainard, Nebraska, on his current life in New York City. Benes describes the misconceptions of people in New York City about his rural upbringing, where he found a strong support of community organizations and the value of neighbors. Benes says that he appreciates the peace of his childhood in retrospect.

Benes talks about how his view of immigration changed once he encountered immigrants in person. Benes describes how wedge issues like abortion and immigration and lack of flexibility in party policies contributed to Nebraska becoming Republican. Benes encourages people to experience the other side of the urban-rural divide. This episode is sponsored by the University Press of Kansas. Visit them at KansasPress.KU.edu

Michelle chats with Sarah Jane Tribble, Senior Correspondent at Kaiser Health News, Brock Slabach, Senior VP for Member Services at the National Rural Health Association, and John Henderson, the CEO and President of Texas Organization of Rural and Community Hospitals, about COVID vaccine rollout in rural areas. Tribble notes that many health disparities are more prevalent in rural communities, which is why it's important for rural communities to have access to the COVID vaccine. Slabach describes the distribution challenges in rural, including lack of federal guidance, transportation difficulties, and inadequate broadband coverage. Tribble says that it's hard to convey to rural residents the importance of getting the vaccine when people are resistant to wearing masks. The hope is that people will see their friends and family suffering and dying from the virus and take steps to prevent infection. Slabach emphasizes an open dialogue in vaccine messaging. Henderson talks about the situation in Texas where rural hospitals were initially not allocated any vaccines. Tribble says that we must utilize this pandemic to create a better emergency management playbook. This episode is sponsored by the All of Us Research Program. Join us to make a difference at joinallofus.org/RuralMatters

Michelle chats with Katie Baca-Motes, director of The Participant Center for the All of Us Research Program at Scripps Research, and Alan Morgan, CEO of the National Rural Health Association, about several significant rural health issues. Baca-Motes describes how the All of Us Research Program, in which individuals provide their health data to an open-source health database, is accessed by researchers to improve health outcomes. Morgan notes that rural populations are traditionally left behind in medical research and that by participating in the All of Us Research Program, rural residents ensure that their specific health situations are addressed. Baca-Motes also discusses the optimal outcomes of the All of Us Research Program: getting medical and preventative care in more convenient locations and empowering rural communities to take care of their own health. Morgan notes that racial disparities come into play with rural communities, so rural people of color are doubly under-resourced. Baca-Motes says that the best way to reverse anti-science sentiment is getting information out to clinical staff and encouraging the positive influence of peers. Morgan stresses the importance of using data so that future generations don't encounter the health disparities found in rural areas right now. This episode is sponsored by the All of Us Research Program. Join us to make a difference at joinallofus.org/RuralMatters

Michelle chats with Zachary Michael Jack, the author of a superb book, called Country Views, which deals with his choice to remain in rural Iowa and reflects his personal views and historical data on agrarianism and rural life,. Jack, who has written columns for many of the nation’s best-circulated newspapers, including USA Today, the Los Angeles Times, and San Francisco Chronicle, as well as The Daily Yonder, describes some the vexing issues facing rural communities, including the use of chemicals in agriculture and the lesser life expectancies facing many rural residents, compared to those in metropolitan areas. Jack also discusses a column he wrote, called Color Me Purple, in which he notes that his home county voted in equal numbers in the presidential election between Gore and Bush and how people can respectfully disagree politically on a variety of policy issues.  Rural residents are “more than the sum of their natural disasters,” he says. This episode is sponsored by Ice Cube Press, www.icecubepress.com

In this final episode of our four-part series, Rural Higher Education: Challenges & Opportunities, Michelle chats with three experts about innovative programs in rural higher education: Matt Dunne, founder and executive director of the Center On Rural Innovation; David Tandberg, senior vice president for policy research and strategic initiatives at the State Higher Education Executive Officers Association (SHEEO); and Leslie Daugherty, an education designer at the Education Design Lab. The Lab’s focus is on ensuring that learners’ needs and goals are front and center, using a human centered design approach, She describes the Lab’s  latest project, called BRIDGES, which is conducted in partnership with Ascendium and five rural community colleges, and is dedicated to creating pilot programs for sustainable growth and economic agility for these institutions and their learners. It’s important to talk to  learners and  uncover the “why” behind quantitative  analysis to enable innovative programs to truly succeed and be inclusive, she notes. Tandberg discusses how his organization deploys empirical research to advance policy objectives in higher education in United States. State leaders should broaden their perspective of rural institutions of higher education and view them as “stewards of place,” where they can become key actors in economic and cultural development in rural areas. Dunne talks about how globalization and automation had a disproportionate, detrimental effect on rural areas following the 2008 recession and how his organization is building digital economy ecosystems to deal with this disparity. He also notes that in implementing these critical ecosystems, it was essential that the rural area have an institution of higher education, which could engage in the community, as is happening now in the exciting collaboration between Colby College and the town of Waterville, Maine. To access the Center on Rural Innovation’s report, Higher Ed’s Role in Rural Innovation Ecosystems, visit https://ruralinnovation.us/rural-ihe-report/ This episode and the entire Rural Higher Education Series is underwritten by and produced in collaboration with Ascendium Education Group, a nonprofit organization committed to helping learners from low-income backgrounds reach their education and career goals. For more information, visit ascendiumphilanthropy.org. The series is also produced in collaboration with MDRC, a nonpartisan, nonprofit research firm committed to finding solutions to some of the most difficult problems facing the nation. Learn more at www.mdrc.org.

In the third of our four-part series, Rural Higher Education: Challenges & Opportunities, Michelle chats with four experts about rural diversity, both perceptions and reality; challenges and opportunities involving diverse students in the rural higher education space; and the innovative initiatives colleges and rural communities are developing to deal with these challenges and opportunities: Alyssa Ratledge, a postsecondary education researcher at MDRC, a nonpartisan, nonprofit policy research firm; Deborah Santiago. the co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Excelencia in Education; Edward Smith-Lewis, Executive Director of UNCF’s Institute for Capacity Building (ICB), a team dedicated to supporting the resiliency of HBCUs; and Noel Harmon, President and Executive Director of Asian Pacific Islander American Scholars, formerly the Asian Pacific Islander American Scholarship Fund. Ratledge notes that, despite perceptions, rural America is not monolithic. About 15 to 20 percent of rural individuals identify as non-white, but in many areas of the country the percentage is much higher. In addition, she explains, even in predominantly white states, rural diversity is increasing faster than urban diversity, which is important for understanding rural issues, including access to higher education and dealing with rural poverty. Santiago notes her organization is looking at transformation and resiliency in areas with a substantial Latino population, including a current focus on Puerto Rico. There’s a myth that the majority of Latinos in the United States are undocumented, which is not accurate, she notes, adding that it’s important to “meet students where they’re at.” Smith-Lewis notes that almost 50 percent of the black population in the South is located in rural communities, and that his organization is developing programs that enable these individuals to return to these communities. Smith-Lewis believes that a key to solving HBCU issues is to bring the stakeholders to the table and to understand that better technology and additional resources need to be brought to bear in the rural South. Harmon points out that the Asian community itself is quite diverse and that about 75 percent of the higher ed students it serves is first generation to attend college.  Native Hawaiians, Pacific Islanders, and the Asian community in general often are not represented at the table or are not part of the discussion in terms of necessary resources, such as extending broadband access, she says. The guests describe culturally relevant initiatives they are undertaking to meet these challenges: Harmon hopes to engage in culturally relevant research that involves organic conversations to find areas of systemic change. Smith-Lewis describes his group’s Career Pathways Development initiative, which involves actually going to the higher education institutions and conducting town halls and other conversations to find ways for the institutions they partner with to be successful, and the importance of telling the larger historical narrative of the black population, and the importance of targeting recipients, as is the case in a recent initiative in Mississippi. Santiago describes her organization’s focus on positioning institutions enrolling rural students as trendsetters, including those in rural Puerto Rico. This episode and the entire Rural Higher Education Series is underwritten by and produced in collaboration with Ascendium Education Group, a nonprofit organization committed to helping learners from low-income backgrounds reach their education and career goals. For more information, visit ascendiumphilanthropy.org. The series is also produced in collaboration with MDRC, a nonpartisan, nonprofit research firm committed to finding solutions to some of the most difficult problems facing the nation. Learn more at www.mdrc.org.

In the second of our four-part series, Rural Higher Education: Challenges & Opportunities, Michelle chats with four inviduals committed to improving education in West Viriginia:  Danielle Vetter, Senior Progrm Officer at Ascendium; Stephanie Hyre, Senior Program Officer of The Greater Kanawha Valley Foundation; Corley Dennison, Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs at the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission and the West Virginia Council for Community and Technical College Education; and Paul Daugherty, President & CEO of Philanthropy West Virginia. Vetter discusses Ascendium’s priorities in the rural space, including research, building capacity for postsecondary providers, and  catalyzing investment and partnerships to create opportunities and open doors that may have been previously closed. There are many lessons learned from these incredible collaborative efforts in West Virginia, including the importance not just talking about issues, but actually meeting the needs of rural communities through strategic development. Dennison notes how rural West Virginia really is and how important it is to initiate innovative programs, such as the one designed to improve developmental education. Dennison also describes the main goal of West Virginia Climbs, supported by Ascendium, that 60 percent of workers in the state will have some kind postsecondary credentials by 2020. Daugherty describes how Philanthropy West Virginia promotes collaboration among government, business, nonprofit, and philanthropy to bolster communities, an effort that has taken on added significance during the pandemic, especially on the issues of food security and business and survival. An essential component to success in the space, according to Daugherty: Courage to try something new. Hyre  describes the work of the Education Affinity Group, a subset of Philanthropy West Virginia (which she now co-chairs), whose priorities include early childhood literacy and postsecondary degree attainment. She explains how the group moved toward strategic priorities  through the 3 Ps (pipelines, partnerships, and platforms), to attract additional funding and support for rural education.

Want to find out more about what’s happening in West Virginia? Cheick out this video:   https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=qcPNVITWOoM.  This episode and the entire Rural Higher Education Series is underwritten by and produced in collaboration with Ascendium Education Group, a nonprofit organization committed to helping learners from low-income backgrounds reach their education and career goals. For more information, visit ascendiumphilanthropy.org. The series is also produced in collaboration with MDRC, a nonpartisan, nonprofit research firm committed to finding solutions to some of the most difficult problems facing the nation. Learn more at www.mdrc.org.

In the first of our four-part series, Rural Higher Education: Challenges & Opportunities, Michelle chats with Alyssa Ratledge. a postsecondary education researcher at MDRC; Dr. Jan Miller, Dean of the College of Education and the Director of Online Programs at the University of West Alabama (UWA); and Joe Thiel, Director of Academic Policy and Research for the Montana University System. There’s a big gap between urban and rural students in higher education, Ratledge notes, with about 41 percent of urban adults attaining college degrees, while only 28 percent of rural adults have those degrees. While rural and urban areas have similar graduation rates, those in rural areas are less likely to attend college, she points out. In addition, she says, many rural students live in “education deserts,” where there are no nearby colleges to attend. Ratledge adds that rural students are facing a “digital divide,” with less access to robust broadband, as well as other challenges like transportation issues.  Miller describes UWA’s University Charter School, which provides real-world experience for education students and how business and economic opportunities in the area are now expanding. UWA also has introduced innovative initiatives with local communities, such as “drive-in” education programs and turning school buses into Internet “hot spots.” Miller also describes dual enrollment programs and scholarships opportunities for juniors and seniors in high school that require that students remain in the local area for three years. In Montana, Thiel notes, it’s difficult for smaller institutions of higher education to sustainably offer even in-demand programs in fields like allied health, due to the costs of programs and the challenges recruiting and retaining qualified faculty, who can often earn more working in industry. He notes that higher education institutions are exploring “hub-and-spoke” initiatives, in which the hubs would provide online teaching in respiratory therapy, for example, while the spokes would coordinate the clinical and lab experiences and provide in-person supports. To learn more about these ideas, check out MDRC’s paper on COVID-19 and Rural Higher Education, https://www.mdrc.org/publication/covid-19-and-rural-higher-education. This episode and the entire Rural Higher Education Series is underwritten by and produced in collaboration with Ascendium Education Group, a nonprofit organization committed to helping learners from low-income backgrounds reach their education and career goals. For more information, visit ascendiumphilanthropy.org. The series is also produced in collaboration with MDRC, a nonpartisan, nonprofit research firm committed to finding solutions to some of the most difficult problems facing the nation. Learn more at www.mdrc.org.

Michelle chats with Whitney Kimball Coe, director of National Programs at the Center for Rural Strategies and the leader of the Rural Assembly, about the upcoming Rural Assembly Everywhere Festival, and with three presenters at this landmark event including, Kathleen Sebelius, former HHS Secretary, Benya Kraus, co-founder of Lead for America and Executive Director of Lead for Minnesota, and Norma Flores Lopez, chair of the Child Labor Coalition’s Domestic Issues Committee and an activist with Justice for Migrant Women.

Rural Assembly Everywhere is a free, five-day (October 26-30) streaming virtual conference/festival, where you can tune in at any time to find out what’s happening in this critical time in rural America, Coe explains. The festival includes “main stage” keynotes from various authors and thought leaders, including Sarah Smarsh, author of Heartland: A Memoir of Working Hard and Being Broke in the Richest Country on Earth, Dr. Richard Besser of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Rural Everywhere will cover vital issues and headlines from The Daily Yonder, such as the rural vote in the 2020 elections, and racial justice in rural America. Breakout sessions will focus on more specific issues, including climate change, resiliency, and developing the next generation of rural leaders. Also, Coe notes, there will be a happy hour every day, at which attendees can network with other attendees. To register for this can’t miss virtual festival, visit ruralassembly.org.

The major rural health issues today, according to Sebelius, include access to providers and hospitals; the promise of telemedicine to provide that access in, for example, specialty care and mental health; how resiliency in rural America can attract new providers and residents; and access to fast broadband, especially in education and health. Kraus, who will be facilitating a conversation with author Sarah Smarsh at the Everywhere event, discusses her rural outreach efforts in Minnesota, her relationship with immigrant and other entrepreneurs in Waseca, and the inspiring experience of “working your way back home.” At Lead for America, she explains, potential rural contributors can be matched with rural communities to earn two-year fellowships to enable them to bring best practices back to their hometowns. The Justice for Migrant Women, Lopez says, protects and advances rural and migrant women’s rights through education, public awareness, and advocacy. Rural America is not all white, as some politicians believe, but is actually diverse, and her organization tries to make sure that rural women are truly heard. In this election year, that means getting out the vote, she notes. Migrant farmworkers are essential works, she adds, and while they are starting to get more recognition, that doesn’t mean they’re getting needed workplace protections, such as overtime pay and the right to organize.

Michelle chats with Matthew Hoagland, the author of “Think Small: A Millennial’s Guide to Building a Meaningful Life in Rural America.”  Hoagland describes how he had set his sights on leading a trendy urban life in Ashville, NC but decidedly to “move to the middle of nowhere,” (Yanceyville, NC), where he works as the Planning Department Director for the Caswell County Planning Department. The book serves as a how-to-guide for millennials on building a meaningful life in rural America, which, in Hoagland’s case, included paying off his entire student dent and buying a house for $39,000. Hoagland describes how he became immersed in local civic issues, and along with his wife, established a meaningful, sustainable, and affordable life they originally thought they would have by living in a bigger city. When you start out in a big city, he says, you often have to begin aa an intern, but in a small town, you can start in a position that can put you in charge of something meaningful in just a couple of years. The book includes a checklist for those thinking of moving to the middle of nowhere.

Michelle chats with Jessica Ames, Programs & Events Coordinator at. Angel Flight East, which provides free flights for individuals who need medical treatment far from home, with a footprint in 14 states. The flights are totally paid for by the pilots themselves, Ames says. The passengers do not have to pay for the flights, whether they need five flights a year or dozens of flights. According to Ames, pilots enjoy this volunteer experience because it pairs their passion for flying with being able to meet a distinct need of patients requiring medical attention. She describes how the company developed its Rural and Rare Reach Initiative, funded by the AmerisourceBergen Foundation, in association with State Offices of Rural Health and others in six states: Virginia, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Ohio, New York, and Maryland. Ames also describes how her company transported face shields and other PPE to rural hospitals and other health care providers during this pandemic — at no cost. The company resumed flights last month, Ames notes. This episode was sponsored by Angel Flight East,  www.angelflighteast.org.

In this final episode of our three-part series, Faith-Based Programs and Their Impact on Rural Communities, which we're doing in collaboration with and supported by The Duke Endowment, Michelle chats with three experts about efforts rural churches are making to narrow the academic achievement gap and improve literacy rates for students in rural North Carolina: Dr. Helen Chen, consultant and researcher, Sharon Locklear, Director of the Sandy Plains United Methodist Church Summer Literacy Program in Pembroke, N.C., and David Reeves, Senior Minister at Cullowhee United Methodist Church in Cullowhee, N.C. During summer months, Dr. Chen notes, there is often a dearth of academic enrichment opportunities in rural communities, and literacy programs implemented by rural churches can help ensure that students meet mandatory grade-level literacy requirements and prevent "summer slide." The Duke Endowment’s Rural Church summer literacy initiative, whose roots date back to 2012, provides churches with grants to host six-week reading camps that ,include 90 hours of instruction, coupled with wraparound services, such as breakfast and lunch, transportation, and family engagement activities. Reeves' church hosted its first camp last year, which was extremely successful. It prompted them to continue the camp this year, albeit with a shorter program and a focus on children who did not have access to remote learning, while also adhering to CDC safety recommendations. Dr. Chen points out that the pandemic accentuates the literacy gap in rural communities and necessitated increased virtual learning this summer. Locklear's program, which also began last year and has continued this year, provides Native American students, "who are more tactile learners," with additional hands-on activities, such as magnet boards for sentence structure and poster boards for vocabulary instruction. This episode is sponsored by The Duke Endowment, www.dukeendowment.org.

This is the second episode in a new series called Faith-Based Programs and Their Impact on Rural Communities, which we’re doing in collaboration with and supported by The Duke Endowment. This private philanthropic organization serves North Carolina and South Carolina in four distinct grantmaking areas: health care, child & family well-being, higher education, and rural United Methodist churches. Michelle chats with Heather Kilbourne, Program Manager of the Faith in Rural Communities Initiative at the North Carolina Rural Center; Nicole Johnson, Associate Director for the Partners in Health and Wholeness program of the North Carolina Council of Churches; and Michelle Osborne, the Program Manager for Come to the Table, one of many initiatives of the Rural Advancement Foundation International-USA. Their conversation focuses on how rural congregations are filling gaps in local communities during the COVID-19 pandemic and covers a wide range of critical issues, including food systems, public health, and community development. Kilbourne says her program helps churches and other faith communities use their resources to meet the significant needs of residents and that “rural churches thrive when they help their communities thrive.” She also describes how, during COVID-19, churches have purchased meals for community members in need, delivering them directly to residents or via drive-throughs. Johnson says her program assists faith communities in addressing a variety of essential issues, including food security, mental health, and substance abuse, and that faith communities are particularly gifted in “reminding people that they are whole.” She also discusses how her program and local churches have pivoted during the pandemic to offer food drops, deliver COVID-19 kits, and establish testing sites. Osborne describes how her organization works to connect the hunger relief programs of churches to local agriculture to address food security, poverty, and strengthen justice in the state’s food system. She also shares details about a grant program designed to provide churches with funds to purchase food from local farmers and give it to families in need.  The Duke Endowment (http://www.dukeendowment.org) sponsored this episode.

This is the first episode in a new series, called Faith-Based Programs & Their Impact on Rural Communities, which we’re doing in collaboration with and supported by The Duke Endowment, a private philanthropic organization that serves North Carolina and South Carolina in four distinct grantmaking areas: health care, child & family well-being, higher education, and rural United Methodist churches. Michelle chats with Robb Webb, Director of The Duke Endowment’s Rural Church program area, and with Kristen Richardson-Frick, Associate Director of the Rural Church program area. Webb discusses how churches can be more than just places of worship and instruction. Their physical assets can eventually be used for a variety of purposes, including women’s and children’s shelters, retail spaces such as church-run coffee shops, and even as commercial kitchens, according to Webb. Richardson-Frick relates how pastors are seeing signs of hope during the COVID-19 pandemic as more worshipers congregate through online platforms than previously gathered in pews on Sunday mornings. She also describes how spiritual leaders have pivoted to offer counseling and other key services online in order to maintain appropriate social distancing. Webb also sees signs of hope. For example, he notes, churches recognized that local farmers needed support as the restaurants they supplied struggled, and so they reached out to buy food from farmers for needy local residents. He also discusses an exciting program called Hope Restorations, in which local ministries help men who have worked through addiction obtain certification and training in construction and who then can work on houses the church buys for needy local residents. This episode is sponsored by The Duke endowment, www.dukeendowment.org

Michelle chats with Kara Laws, co-owner and CEO of Small Town Hub, a company that helps small, rural cities and their businesses strengthen and support their local economies. Small Town Hubs works with rural businesses directly with online and other marketing; consulting with the cities themselves about not relying only on tourism, for example; and with local chambers of commerce. The Internet changed marketing for rural businesses to emphasize into more consumer-driven enterprises and also figuring out how to deliver merchandise ordered online. Laws talks about how a local business pivoted during the pandemic by making masks and selling them only online through their website and a local restaurant in Utah that added delivery to their services and have “barely taken a hit” during the pandemic.  Service-based businesses can creates online courses to help build their business, she notes.  Laws advises businesses to create as few barriers as possible in developing their websites and online platforms, and that they have a marketing plan in place with solid images in place.  Laws recommends Shopify as an excellent platform for many of her clients. There’s a quiz on the company’s website that can help businesses decide which website provider might be best for them. For more information, visit https://www.smalltownhub.com/about-us

In Part IV of our four-part series on rural economic and community development, produced in collaboration with and supported by the Thomas USAF Group, Michelle chats with Matt Dunne, Founder and Executive Director of the Center on Rural Innovation and Anna Johnson, who has led the agricultural policy portfolio at the Center for Rural Affairs for almost four years. Dunne discusses how the Center on Rural Innovation’s Action Tank enables rural communities and entrepreneurs to create digital economy ecosystems that build jobs for the future, including those involving coding and software. Johnson describes how the Center for Rural Affairs does small business lending and community inclusion work in Nebraska, as well as farm bill advocacy and agricultural policy development. Dunne discusses how the Center on Rural Innovation’s mapping program addresses the rural economic gap that developed after the economic crisis of 2008 by enabling policymakers to determine broadband needs, identify health care gaps, and locate valuable resources, such as nearby colleges and universiti4es. Recently, Dunne notes, the Center helped provide a Health Preparedness Index that enables decision-makers to determine where a community could be overwhelmed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Johnson also talks about the work her organization does with farmers and the how small farmers have been impacted by the lack of broadband access. This episode is sponsored by Thomas USAF Group, www.thomasusaf.com.

In Part III of this four-part series on rural economic and community development, produced in collaboration with and supported by the Thomas USAF Group, Michelle welcomes back Thomas Kimsey, president and CEO of the Thomas USAF Group, and also chats with Bette Brand, Deputy Under Secretary for Rural Development at the Department of Agriculture since February 20, and with Mark Lee, Chief Executive Officer and President of Rhino Health Inc., the first United States manufacturer of nitrile rubber gloves about governmental and private sector collaboration in the rural economic and  development space. Through its partnership with the Department of Agriculture’s Rural Development Office, Thomas USAF is able to provide capital to both small and large businesses and entrepreneurs, Kimsey notes.

In the final segment of our four-part series on rural poverty and the 2020 elections, developed in collaboration with and underwritten by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Michelle chats with Dee Davis, founder and president of the Center for Rural Strategies; Jonathan Rodden, professor of political science at Stanford University, and author of Why Cities Lose: The Deep Roots of the Urban-Rural Political Divide; and Pakou Hang, a trainer at Vote Run Lead, about the upcoming elections.  People vote on the basis of whether they think a candidate truly represent people like themselves, notes Davis. They vote more on the basis of candidates they like and whose values they support, rather than on policy issues, he adds. Hang discusses the important role of women in agriculture today, who tend to be the largest landowners, and are more interested in rural health, nutrition, and the ecosystem. Women in agriculture and in rural communities are coming together in social networks and exerting a greater influence than in the past, she explains. According to Rodden, the racial injustice movement has affected rural areas, which have become more heterogeneous, as well as urban areas. The episode concludes with insights about the importance of immigrants who are moving to rural communities for jobs (the majority of dairy farm workers are now Latino, notes Hang); whether democracy itself is in jeopardy; and the role of voting by mail in the 2020 elections. This episode is sponsored by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, www.rwjf.org