The relationship between institutions of higher learning and their local communities is often described as "town and gown." Few studies examine how these partnerships affect state and local public administration and local economic development. We analyzed data from the 2014 Economic Development Survey carried out by the International…

Since 2004, I have provided technical assistance to a neighborhood association in a residential, campus-adjacent neighborhood located in a small college town in a geographically isolated coal-mining region of the United States. The neighborhood is shared by year-round residents, most of whom are older adults who have no affiliation with the…

This case involves a small town in the southwestern United States. Background descriptions of the community and school are provided, including historical and demographic information. As the community and school transition from a small ranching town into a bedroom community for the large city nearby, tensions related to race and wealth erupt in a…

Residential neighborhoods adjacent to a higher education institution are home to diverse groups of people who share neither a common sense of community (McMillan & Chavis, 1986) nor the same degree of attachment to place (Low & Altman, 1992). These neighborhoods are characterized by transience and a lack of cohesion. They are highly prized…

The purpose of this paper is to provide an alternative operationalization of amenities that does not privilege certain kinds of natural resources and climatic conditions and that can be used for assessing the quality of life in small towns. The amenity inventory presented here extends previous literature by including a broad range of amenities…

The purpose of the study was to make a qualitative assessment of the impact of school consolidation on several rural Nebraska communities that have recently lost their schools. This research uses a multiple-case study design with interviews conducted in three Nebraska communities. The data from this research fell into four broad themes: social…

Building the research capacity of the vocational education and training (VET) sector is a key concern for the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER). To assist with this objective, NCVER supports an academic scholarship program, whereby VET practitioners are sponsored to undertake university study at honours', master's or…

Increasingly, colleges and universities are engaging in service learning, but for service learning to be successful in rural communities, students and faculty must look beyond the stereotypes of rural life and see rural people and places for what they are. Rural stereotypes are discussed, and a "stay option" is identified as a common…

In November 1989, the College of the Canyons (CC) in Valencia, California, conducted a community survey of Santa Clarita Valley to determine residents' satisfaction with CC; use of CC services and facilities; perceptions of the value and performance of CC in six functional areas; perceptions of the quality of education; attitudes about fees, the…

As the concept of community is changing, emphasis in community analysis is changing from a geographic focus to examination of interest clusters within a geographic location. Village communities are declining while town-country communities are becoming more numerous. The suburban community is a recent development, and although it develops its own…

This book addresses the need for research information that can be used as a foundation for rural development policy. Part I deals with the four components of rural development: education (human capital), entrepreneurship, physical infrastructure, and social infrastructure. Part II examines analytic methods of measuring rural development efforts,…

Focusing on the period from June, 1984 through November, 1984, this report summarizes the activities of the Gulf Coast Future Issues Council (GCFIC), a non-profit corporation organized as a coordination center of community research, forecasting, trend analysis, and educational activities. After introductory material that highlights the role of the…

Schools in two neighboring rural Kentucky counties ("West" and "East") were studied to determine the effect of differing school organization on school functioning and community-school relations. Data gathered from public sources, attendance at faculty, staff and school board meetings, interviews, and faculty questionnaires…

Projects such as Education North, a pilot project for community involvement in education conducted by the Alberta government, can be successful in geographically and culturally isolated communities where social, cultural, and political conflicts affect education. Between 1979 and 1982, Education North operated local education societies in six…