Welcome to Mile Markers, a bimonthly newsletter about rural higher education. I’m Nick Fouriezos, an Open Campus national reporter who grew up at the crossroads of suburban Atlanta and the foothills of Appalachia.

Today’s Roadmap

01: Postcards: The rural cost of Trump’s tax cuts

01: Postcards

Growing up in rural northeastern Arkansas, Chuck Welch came from a family of sharecroppers where his paternal grandfather couldn't read or write, and his other three grandparents had only eighth-grade educations "because once you got to the eighth grade, you worked the farm."

He went on to serve as president of the Arkansas State University System, as well as a number of roles touching on rural higher ed. Now Welch leads an organization that represents hundreds of public colleges and universities, including 136 rural-serving campuses, as president of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU).

His personal and career journey has given him unique insights into the challenges facing rural students and institutions today. And with federal policy changing and enrollment pressures mounting, Welch sees both threats and opportunities for rural higher education.

In this newsletter, we discuss how rural colleges are adapting to economic pressures, and why international students matter more to their bottom line than most people realize. (This conversation has been lightly edited for length and clarity.)

Q: How does your background shape your perspective on rural higher education?

I have a unique interest in rural just having grown up in Arkansas and having worked with campuses that were in very rural parts of the state, and also knowing that in many cases, higher education is considered unattainable by some in rural areas or there's a cultural challenge and difference. Certainly that was the case in my family as I'm a first-generation college student.

One of the things that my dad said to me was that when a young male graduated in that rural area, at that time, they had three choices: work on the farm and pick cotton; move to St Louis, likely drive a truck; or move to Detroit and work on one of the factory lines.

But, you know, never in my life was there ever a question whether I was going to go to college. My parents were very, very, very supportive of it and pushed it. But they didn't have a great deal of knowledge about what that meant, or what's a grant, what's a loan, what's work study, any of those kinds of things.

Q: What are some of the challenges you’re seeing in rural higher education at AASCU?

What's on my mind right now is the impact that these campuses are going to feel as a result of some of the changes that are being either implemented or proposed. More specifically, obviously, student aid is one that we have a great deal of concern about, knowing that a good number of rural students also have financial needs. Could be first generation. About a third of our rural students are students of color.

The proposed changes to Pell, the proposed changes to unsubsidized student loans. I mean, there's a whole host of things that we are concerned about. Medicaid cuts are very concerning to us for two reasons. One is obviously the impact it would have on state budgets. And the second is that there are 3.4 million college students who receive Medicaid in the United States. Now, those obviously aren't all rural, but you have to assume there are going to be a number of rural students as well who are receiving Medicaid.

Editor’s Note: This interview was conducted before President Donald Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” was passed. While Pell grants remain mostly unscathed, changes to student loans and significant Medicaid cuts were included in the final bill.

Q: How are rural colleges affected by a potential crackdown on visas for international students?

What really has been eye opening for me is the lack of understanding among most policymakers and the general public about the value of international students in keeping costs lower for domestic students or local students.

They don't realize that international students tend to pay full tuition. They're not getting scholarships. They tend to live in the residence halls. They tend to buy the meal plans. I mean, they are income generators for the institution that allows the institution to not have to place increased costs on the local or domestic students.

The University of Central Missouri has lost 1,000 international students in one year, for example. And, you know, it's tough. And so then what? Where do the colleges turn to cover costs, and what does that look like?

After immigration crackdown, international students in Texas self-censor to protect their education - Open Campus

Q: How are institutions addressing affordability challenges?

I think some of the strategies that campuses are looking at is rethinking our pricing strategy. For a while, there was the mindset of, “You get what you pay for: If it costs more, it must be better.” A lot of campuses artificially inflated their sticker price, and then turned around and discounted that through scholarships or grant programs, so students were never really paying that sticker price.

Now I think there's a rethink of that about transparency, of look, here's your actual cost. At many of our institutions, if a student is a Pell student, they could take that and, with state scholarships or programs, effectively pay for the tuition and fees. But I'm not sure how well that's communicated.

There are campuses that are looking at micro grants, because a lot of times it's small amounts that are keeping students from — I just can't close the gap here, or I can't do that. And so institutions are looking for ways to make that happen. They're looking at more needs-based scholarships, as opposed to merit-based scholarships.

Q: How do you address concerns about students who start college but don't finish?

The vast majority of reasons of why students leave college has nothing to do with the institution. It's not that we failed them or it wasn't a good experience, it's having to care for a family member. They're low income. I mean, there's a whole host of different issues that are there.

The data is there and shows the degree is worth it. The million dollars more that you make in a lifetime, if you get a college degree. Or the fact that you're half as likely to be unemployed, or you're far less likely to be incarcerated in your lifetime. A college graduate tends to live eight years, seven to eight years longer than a high school graduate. Less than 2% of people on public support programs like SNAP are college graduates.

But that data doesn't overcome the immediate challenges and needs that these individuals have.When they're already teetering, or it's already a burden for them to be able to be there. And obviously, four years seems like a long time, a lot of cash outlay. Then you've got all of these voices in the background saying, “Well, college isn't worth it anymore." There's not a return on investment. The value is not there. You're being indoctrinated.” It’s a dangerous mix.

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