App State-based research alliance awarded $7.2M to launch Rural Talent Lab in 5 states

The Alliance for Research on Regional Colleges project aims to advance higher education, workforce development in rural communities

View larger image — Dr. Andrew Koricich, professor in the higher education graduate program at App State and executive director of the Alliance for Research on Regional Colleges, which is housed in App State’s Reich College of Education, visible in the background. Photo by Chase Reynolds

“By involving rural stakeholders in the pathway design process, the Rural Talent Lab will create opportunities tailored to local economic needs while also mobilizing the local support needed for long-term success. Our on-the-ground approach will lead to opportunities that allow rural people to learn, work and live in the places they love.”

Dr. Andrew Koricich, professor of higher education and executive director of the App State-based Alliance for Research on Regional Colleges

Edited by Jessica Stump

Posted March 26, 2025 at 11:50 a.m.

BOONE, N.C. — More than $7 million in grant funding awarded to the Alliance for Research on Regional Colleges (ARRC), based at Appalachian State University, will help advance higher education and workforce development for individuals in rural communities over the next four years. Housed in the Reich College of Education, ARRC is a research collaborative and resource hub that examines the role and impacts of regional and rural-serving colleges and universities.

“By involving rural stakeholders in the pathway design process, the Rural Talent Lab will create opportunities tailored to local economic needs while also mobilizing the local support needed for long-term success. Our on-the-ground approach will lead to opportunities that allow rural people to learn, work and live in the places they love.”

Dr. Andrew Koricich, professor of higher education and executive director of the App State-based Alliance for Research on Regional Colleges

The $7,245,600 grant, awarded by Ascendium Education Group, supports the establishment of a Rural Talent Development and Attraction Lab in five partner states. A nonprofit organization, Ascendium is dedicated to creating opportunities for learners from low-income backgrounds to achieve academic and career success.

Led by ARRC Executive Director Dr. Andrew Koricich, professor in App State’s higher education graduate program, the ARRC team will partner with the states’ higher education executive agencies to develop a statewide Rural Talent Development and Attraction Plan. These plans include the creation and implementation of at least four credential pathways, providing opportunities for learners to earn associate degrees and undergraduate certificates that support the rural workforce needs of each state.

Alliance for Research on Regional Colleges (ARRC) logo. Graphic courtesy of ARRC

Koricich explained that these credential pathways will be developed in partnership with, and with input from, the rural communities that stand to benefit from the project — with the goal of creating opportunities that are accessible, connected to local employment and low-cost for rural learners. Such higher education credentials equip learners with skills tailored to specific occupations or industries and can typically be completed in less time than it takes to earn a bachelor’s degree.

“By involving rural stakeholders in the pathway design process, the Rural Talent Lab will create opportunities tailored to local economic needs while also mobilizing the local support needed for long-term success,” said Koricich, the project’s principal investigator. “Our on-the-ground approach will lead to opportunities that allow rural people to learn, work and live in the places they love.”

As part of the Rural Talent Lab project, the ARRC and state teams will participate in community listening tours, engaging in detailed conversations and knowledge-sharing with stakeholders in multiple rural communities of each state. Additionally, public opinion surveys will be administered to the states’ rural residents to ensure input on the project is received beyond the listening tours.

To facilitate its Rural Talent Lab project, the ARRC team will work in collaboration with the State Higher Education Executive Officers Association (SHEEO) and HCM Strategists, a consulting firm dedicated to advancing social and economic mobility through postsecondary education and career-connected learning. SHEEO supports state higher education leaders by promoting policies and practices that advance equitable education opportunities nationwide.

“The Rural Talent Lab presents a unique opportunity for states to equip students and grow their economy by creating deliberate pathways between programs of study and workforce needs,” said SHEEO President Rob Anderson. “This type of innovative investment will ensure that these communities develop needed talent and infrastructure to thrive for years to come.”

Kirstin Yeado, senior strategy officer at Ascendium, shared that Ascendium plans to explore how the approach of the Rural Talent Lab project can be a model for other states committed to prioritizing rural talent development.

“The Rural Talent Lab’s commitment to designing affordable, employer-aligned credentialing programs will ensure rural learners have a clear pathway to upward mobility,” Yeado said.

According to Koricich, the Rural Talent Lab aims to open its credential pathways to learners in fall 2027. The ARRC team will regularly review and assess the project to help inform the states’ ongoing expansion of credential pathways, while ultimately establishing a new model for rural talent development and attraction.

The Rural Talent Lab is one of several long-term projects ARRC has launched since its 2020 establishment, with an aim to provide research resources and services, along with data-driven analysis, around regional higher education institutions and the communities they serve.

According to a year’s worth of ARRC research led by Koricich, more than 1,000 colleges and universities across the U.S. — which currently educate nearly 5 million students — can be classified as rural-serving. The research suggests that rural-serving institutions should not only be identified by their location, but also by the communities they serve. Based on his report, App State is among the 46% of public four-year institutions that can be considered rural-serving.

Koricich shared that, as the Rural Talent Lab project progresses, opportunities will be available for App State students and additional App State faculty to engage with the project. Additionally, a collaborative, in-person professional development session for the state teams will be held at App State’s Boone campus in October.

Project updates will be made available on the Alliance for Research on Regional Colleges (ARRC) website, as well as on ARRC’s LinkedIn and Bluesky pages (@arrc.bsky.social and @ruraltalentlab.bsky.social).

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The ARRC team

The co-directors of the Alliance for Research on Regional Colleges (ARRC) are leading researchers on regional colleges and postsecondary education in rural contexts. Collectively, they have been researching regional colleges for more than a decade, publishing their findings in various formats — from journal articles and reports, to full-length books and book chapters.

The ARRC team:

Dr. Andrew Koricich, professor, Appalachian State University
Dr. Kevin McClure, Murphy Distinguished Scholar of Education and associate professor of higher education, University of North Carolina at Wilmington
Dr. Alisa Fryar, professor of political science and department chair, University of Oklahoma
Dr. Cecilia Orphan, associate professor of higher education, University of Denver
Dr. Vanessa A. Sansone, associate professor of higher education administration, University of Texas at San Antonio

Additionally, the following research fellows will assist the ARRC team with its grant-funded project to develop and implement credential pathways that empower rural learners, workers and communities.

Dr. Ty McNamee, assistant professor of higher education, University of Mississippi
Dr. Allyson Shortle, associate professor of political science, University of Oklahoma

Did you know?

App State is one of more than 1,000 U.S. colleges and universities that can be classified as rural-serving and which educate nearly 5 million students. These higher education institutions were identified through a year’s worth of research led by App State’s Dr. Andrew Koricich — executive director of the Alliance for Research on Regional Colleges, housed in App State's Reich College of Education.

Koricich’s research suggests that rural-serving institutions should not only be identified by their location, but also by the communities they serve. Based on his report, App State is among the 46% of public four-year institutions that can be considered rural-serving.

App State — a rural-serving institution

App State has long served rural students and contributed to the rural economic development and social mobility of the Northwestern North Carolina region. Of the 21,570 students App State welcomed last fall, 5,714 are rural students who represent 32.5% of the total in-state, degree-seeking undergraduate population at App State.

A recent economic impact report showed App State generated an estimated $573 million in added income for the local five-county region of Watauga, Ashe, Avery, Caldwell and Wilkes counties in fiscal year 2021–22 — supporting one out of every 14 jobs in the region. The university's economic impact for the state was an estimated $2.2 billion.

According to App State’s Alumni Association, 65,845, or 43%, of the more than 151,000 Mountaineer alumni live and work in Tier 1 and Tier 2 counties in North Carolina, contributing to the state’s growing economy.

Counties with Tier 1 and 2 designations, assigned by the North Carolina Department of Commerce, are considered rural. The determining factors for assigning a designation:

Average unemployment rate
Median household income
Percentage growth in population
Adjusted property tax base per capita

Alliance for Research on Regional Colleges (ARRC)

ARRC is a research collaborative and resource hub with the mission of increasing appreciation for and understanding of regional colleges and their contributions to opportunity and community wellbeing. ARRC aims to build research infrastructure, produce data-driven analysis, and disseminate accessible knowledge for a range of audiences.

Learn more

App State higher education professor helps create, co-directs Alliance for Research on Regional Colleges

April 9, 2021

App State’s Dr. Andrew Koricich is one of four co-founders and co-directors of the Alliance for Research on Regional Colleges — a grant-funded initiative aimed at increasing appreciation for and understanding of U.S. regional, or rural-serving, colleges and their contributions. To date, the project has received more than half-million dollars in support.

Read the story

About the Reich College of Education

Appalachian State University offers one of the largest undergraduate teacher preparation programs in North Carolina, graduating about 500 teachers a year. The Reich College of Education enrolls more than 2,000 students in its bachelor’s, master’s, education specialist and doctoral degree programs, with offerings that span multiple fields — from teacher preparation, counseling, and therapy, to higher education, school and student affairs administration, library science, educational leadership and more. With over 10,000 alumni employed in North Carolina public schools, there is at least one Reich College graduate in every county in the state. Learn more at https://rcoe.appstate.edu.

About Appalachian State University

As a premier public institution, Appalachian State University prepares students to lead purposeful lives. App State is one of 17 campuses in the University of North Carolina System, with a national reputation for innovative teaching and opening access to a high-quality, affordable education for all. The university enrolls more than 21,000 students, has a low student-to-faculty ratio and offers more than 150 undergraduate and 80 graduate majors at its Boone and Hickory campuses and through App State Online. Learn more at https://www.appstate.edu.

“By involving rural stakeholders in the pathway design process, the Rural Talent Lab will create opportunities tailored to local economic needs while also mobilizing the local support needed for long-term success. Our on-the-ground approach will lead to opportunities that allow rural people to learn, work and live in the places they love.”

Dr. Andrew Koricich, professor of higher education and executive director of the App State-based Alliance for Research on Regional Colleges

The ARRC team

The ARRC team:

Dr. Andrew Koricich, professor, Appalachian State University
Dr. Kevin McClure, Murphy Distinguished Scholar of Education and associate professor of higher education, University of North Carolina at Wilmington
Dr. Alisa Fryar, professor of political science and department chair, University of Oklahoma
Dr. Cecilia Orphan, associate professor of higher education, University of Denver
Dr. Vanessa A. Sansone, associate professor of higher education administration, University of Texas at San Antonio

Additionally, the following research fellows will assist the ARRC team with its grant-funded project to develop and implement credential pathways that empower rural learners, workers and communities.

Dr. Ty McNamee, assistant professor of higher education, University of Mississippi
Dr. Allyson Shortle, associate professor of political science, University of Oklahoma

Did you know?

App State — a rural-serving institution

Counties with Tier 1 and 2 designations, assigned by the North Carolina Department of Commerce, are considered rural. The determining factors for assigning a designation: