Community colleges and economic development: A case study of Appalachian southwest Virginia.

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

The five community colleges in Southwest Virginia all serve rural areas in Appalachia and face unique and complicated challenges. Southwest Virginia, like many other regions in Appalachia, is characterized by high levels of unemployment due to the loss of the major industries of coal and textiles and by lower levels of educational attainment of its citizens when compared to state and national averages. The five community colleges, Mountain Empire, New River, Southwest Virginia, Virginia Highlands, and Wytheville, provide a wide range of programs and services designed to improve their communities.
The 1994 Virginia Community College System Restructuring Plan charged community colleges to expand their role in economic development. The purpose of this study was to identify the economic development programs and services the five community colleges in Southwest Virginia employed dating from the 1994 Restructuring Plan. In addition, the study identified how these institutions assess local economic needs and reported the economic development programs and services that were perceived by the college administrators to have been most successful.
The investigation involved a single case study of the five community colleges in Southwest Virginia. Documents relating to the economic development activities of the institutions were collected and reviewed. Key personnel at each institution were involved in economic development activities including the President at each of the five colleges were interviewed. Interviews were also conducted with government and educational leaders in the region served by the colleges.
The study found that the five community colleges primarily assess economic needs through community involvement and through contact with business and industry. Twenty-three economic development programs and services were identified with workforce training consistently reported as the primary activity designed to promote economic development. Establishing partnerships with a multitude of organizations and groups was identified as a critical strategy in developing program services to promote economic growth in the region.