Rural-serving institutions play a unique role within their communities.
This symposium will bring together presidents and chancellors leading these institutions to connect and discuss the challenges they face.
Sessions will focus on how rural institutions bolster their local workforce, promote sustainability, and provide postsecondary value. Participants will learn about the latest research on and programs geared towards rural-serving institutions and the communities that they serve. Attendees will also help shape AASCU’s action agenda and advocacy strategy related to rural institutions and students.
Who should attend:
- Presidents/Chancellors
Benefits of participation:
- Community building and networking
- Learn about timely research related to rural-serving institutions
- Help inform AASCU’s action agenda and advocacy strategy related to rural institutions and students
- Gain knowledge about potential funding opportunities
Schedule at a glance
| Morning | Optional tour of Western Carolina University Main Campus (8:30 a.m. departure; 1:30 p.m. return; lunch included) Join Chancellor Kelli R. Brown for a tour of Western Carolina’s main campus and learn how WCU has a unique partnership with the community it serves. |
| 1 p.m. | Lunch Lunch will be available for attendees who cannot join us for the tour of WCU. |
| 2 p.m. | Welcome Opening remarks from AASCU president Charles L. Welch and WCU Chancellor Kelli R. Brown |
| 2 p.m. | Welcome Opening remarks from AASCU president Charles L. Welch and WCU Chancellor Kelli R. Brown |
| 2:15 p.m. | Fireside Chat with Peter Hans |
| 2:45 p.m. | Rural Regional Public Universities & Federal Policy Morgan Taylor, AASCU’s Director of Research and Business Intelligence, and Luis Maldonado, AASCU’s Vice President of Government Relations and Policy Analysis, will provide an overview of rural-serving institutions and the policy landscape affecting these institutions. |
| 3:30 p.m. | State of Rural-Serving Institutions and Public Perspectives on Higher Education Researchers from the Alliance for Research on Regional Colleges will share their latest research on rural-serving institutions, rural communities, and public opinion of higher education and postsecondary value. |
| 4:30 p.m. | Data Utilization for Workforce-Responsive Programs Fort Hays State University will join Gray Decision Intelligence for a discussion on how institutions can utilize data to create programs responsive to the job market and drive local workforce growth. |
| 5:30 p.m. | Reception/Dinner |
| 8 a.m. | Breakfast |
| 8:30 | Partnerships That Matter: Accelerating Rural Student Success A cross-sector panel representing AASCU’s Rural Student Success Network explores how partnerships, institutional leadership, strategic investment, and evidence-based insights transform outcomes for rural students. |
| 9:30 a.m. | Priority Session: Affordable, Job-Connected Pathways for Rural Students Researchers from ARRC will discuss their work on the Rural Talent and Development Lab, a collaboration with SHEEO, to create affordable, job-connected pathways that drive the success of rural students and rural communities. |
| 10:30 a.m. | Priority Session: Addressing Institutional Sustainability Discussion on the unique opportunities and challenges of rural-serving institutions related to sustainability and campus infrastructure. |
| 11:20 a.m. | Collaboration Café The Collaboration Cafe session allows participants to interact meaningfully with each other and with thought partners in small groups to share institutional priorities and gain resources. |
| 12:40 p.m. | Lunch |
| 1:10 p.m. | AASCU Rural Strategy and Advocacy Session Collaborative working session to help shape AASCU’s rural strategy and advocacy efforts. |
| 2 p.m. | Funding Opportunities for Rural-Serving Institutions Matt Ceppi, AASCU’s Vice President of Strategic Development and Managing Director of AASCU Consulting, will discuss funding opportunities specific to rural institutions. |
| 3 p.m. | Adjourn |
confirmed speakers
Kelli R.
Brown
Chancellor
Western Carolina University (NC)
Matt
Ceppi
Vice President of Strategic Development and Managing Director, AASCU Consulting
AASCU
Peter
Hans
President
University of North Carolina System
Ioana
Hulbert
Senior Program Manager
Ithaka S+R
Lisa
Hunter
Associate Vice President for Academic Innovation and Transformation
AASCU
Andrew
Koricich
Executive Director
Alliance for Research on Regional Colleges
Luis
Maldonado
Vice President of Government Relations and Policy Analysis
AASCU
Brian E.
Noland
President
East Tennessee State University
Peter O.
Nwosu
President
State University of New York at Oswego
Cecilia M.
Orphan
Associate Professor of Higher Education
University of Denver (CO)
Adam
Ray
Deputy Director, Rural Talent Lab
Appalachian State University (NC)
Stephanie
Sowl
Associate Director of Research
ECMC Foundation
Morgan
Taylor
Director, Research and Business Intelligence
AASCU
Charles L.
Welch
President and CEO
AASCU
Program Highlight -optional tour
Discover Western Carolina University: A Driving Force in Western North Carolina’s Economy
Welcome to Western North Carolina, home to Western Carolina University! WCU is a thriving academic community with nearly 12,000 students and 2,000 faculty and staff. Located in Cullowhee, a scenic mountain hamlet nestled between the Great Smoky and Blue Ridge Mountains and near the lands of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, WCU blends tradition with innovation. While your meeting will take place at our Asheville campus, we invite you to visit our main campus in Cullowhee to see firsthand the university’s impact on the region.
During the tour, you’ll learn about WCU’s roots as a rural teacher’s college and how it continues to fuel the local economy. You’ll get a feel for campus life, explore our academic programs, and see our unique infrastructure – including our own electric grid, water-treatment plant, high-speed internet, and student-run ambulance service. The tour highlights our strong commitment to community, economic development, and the natural beauty of the region.
Our Cullowhee campus features cutting-edge facilities like the Apodaca Science Building, the College of Health and Human Sciences, and the Forensic Osteology Research Station (FOREST) – one of only eight outdoor human decomposition labs in the country and the second oldest in the world. We will also emphasize the University’s community-centered spaces like the Ramsey Regional Activity Center, home to Catamount Athletics and the world-renowned Pride of the Mountains Marching Band, as well as the Mountain Heritage Center and our Cherokee Studies and Language programs.
We look forward to welcoming you to Cullowhee!
Registration & Accommodations
The symposium will take place on Western Carolina University’s Asheville campus.
Accommodations
We’ve included this hotel as a convenient recommendation for attendees. It is easily a walk-able 2 blocks to WCU Asheville, and does offer a free shuttle from the Asheville Regional Airport. Please note we haven’t contracted with them for rooms or rates, so availability and pricing may vary. If you choose to book, you’ll work directly with the hotel for all details. For those to whom it applies, Hilton does offer Government Rates.
Hilton Asheville Biltmore Park
43 Town Square Blvd.
Asheville, North Carolina 28803
Call: (828) 209-2700
Questions about this symposium? Let us know.
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