GHC Selected for National Initiative to Help Rural Community College Students Succeed

Posted on: Feb, 13, 2025

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Phase 2 of the Rural Guided Pathways Project includes 28 colleges from across the country and runs for three years (2025-27)

Grays Harbor College has been selected to participate in Phase 2 of the Rural Guided Pathways Project. Colleges that are part of Rural Pathways work with each other — and with community partners in their regions - to implement evidence-based, institution-wide reforms grounded in the guided pathways framework. The project focuses on rural students and in-depth community partnerships.

"We are thrilled with this news!" said GHC President Dr. Carli Schiffner. "This national support will allow GHC to collaborate with – and learn from – colleges in rural communities across the country. We know that rural students face unique challenges and opportunities. The Rural Pathways program will help GHC ensure our students have clear pathways to meaningful careers and further education."

Phase 2 of Rural Pathways builds on the incredible progress colleges made during Phase 1 of the project, which included 16 colleges and ran from 2022 through 2024. Phase 2 includes 28 colleges and will run from 2025 through 2027.

Colleges selected to participate in Rural Pathways commit to:

  • Designing and implementing a better student experience at their colleges.
  • Ensuring that more students earn credentials and move on to living-wage jobs or transfer to a four-year institution with junior status.
  • Collaborating with key stakeholders to increase economic opportunity in their region and be partners in the implementation of a cross-sector approach to guided pathways.
  • Implementing evidence-based reforms that will address inequity and lead to improved educational and workforce outcomes.

Rural Pathways provides a deliberate venue for rural college practitioners to collaborate while they work to improve student outcomes. Historically, rural community college leaders have not had many opportunities to problem-solve around the student success and completion issues that are particular to their culture, context, and capacity. They often struggle to apply strategies — even those that work well at urban and suburban institutions — in their rural context.

Rural Pathways gives rural colleges opportunities to work through challenging issues and collaborate with peer institutions, all in the context of a learning community that provides a broad range of supports.

The role of community partners sets Rural Pathways apart from other guided pathway efforts. Throughout the three-year project, regional partners are an integral part of each college’s team and deeply embedded in pathways implementation. The value of involving external stakeholders in pathways work — and giving them specific roles and responsibilities — is amplified in rural settings, where students’ education, residents’ economic mobility, and the regional economy are so closely intertwined.

"The Twin Harbors face critical workforce shortages, and the Rural Guided Pathways Project provides a structured approach to helping students gain the skills and credentials needed to fill these gaps," said Dr. Schiffner. "By strengthening our community partnerships, we can create more seamless transitions from education to employment, boosting economic growth in our area."

The National Center for Inquiry & Improvement (NCII) provides the project leadership for Rural Pathways. A team of implementation coaches, leadership coaches, and subject matter experts join NCII in working with participating colleges and developing the project’s curriculum. NCII also builds on longstanding partnerships with the Community College Research Center and the Aspen Institute College Excellence Program to support participating colleges.

"We are excited to have Grays Harbor College participate in Rural Pathways," says Gretchen Schmidt, senior fellow, NCII. "Rural institutions have not had many opportunities to problem-solve around the student success and completion issues that are particular to their culture, context, and capacity. By joining Rural Pathways, Grays Harbor College is demonstrating its commitment to making lasting changes that will improve student outcomes."