August 31, 2022
Through funding made possible by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and in partnership with the Rural Community College Alliance (RCCA), the Association of Community College Trustees (ACCT) is working to strengthen rural community colleges. Our project builds on ACCT’s prior work through the Strengthening Rural Community Colleges report that engaged rural community college presidents and trustees to gather information about the challenges faced by these institutions. One of the findings of this work was that rural colleges did not feel that they had a way to connect with one another to share ideas and discuss issues. They also expressed concern over the many barriers to accessing federal grant funding.
One of the components of our project is the creation of a Rural Community College Peer Learning Network, which serves as a way for rural community college leaders to share best practices, institutional experiences, and processes. The Rural Community College Peer Learning Network serves in conjunction with our monthly webinars and an opportunity to learn directly from other rural community colleges. Also, this is an opportunity for rural community colleges to learn how similar institutions operate while providing supportive resources to potentially utilize.
During this Rural Community College Peer Learning Network discussion, we will bring together rural community college leaders to learn and collaborate on their shared practices of supporting the mental health of students, faculty, and staff. This Peer Learning Network discussion will follow our Wednesday, August 17, 2022, Protecting the Mental Health of Rural Community College Students webinar.
Rural Community College Peer Learning Network Meeting Details
Date: Wednesday, August 31, 2022
Time: 1:00 - 2:00 p.m. ET
Access the article about this Peer Learning Network discussion Collaborating on Mental Health Practices at Rural Community Colleges here.
Guiding Questions
- Throughout the pandemic, what has your institution learned about supporting the mental health of students, faculty, and staff?
- Has your institution implemented new mental health supports for students? What are these supports and how were they implement?
- What areas of need are students and faculty requesting support for?
- How is your institution supporting the mental health of faculty and staff?
- Are there any specific resources that your institution leverage in expanding your mental health support services?
- Is there a tool/resources that your institution is utilizing to help support students’ mental health?
- Does your institution have dedicated staff that has a primary function to support student mental health?
- Does your institution leverage mental health community resources and/or partnerships to support your students, faculty, and staff?
In partnership with:
