An introduction to rural minority‐serving community colleges

Racially minoritized communities in rural areas experience some of the most challenging conditions related to poverty, educational access, and educational attainment in the nation (Farrigan, 2021; Hillman, 2016). For residents in these communities, community colleges are the most common entry point into postsecondary education (Byun et al., 2017), yet little attention has been paid to the many two‐year institutions that are both rural and minority‐ serving. This chapter introduces the landscape of rural, minority‐serving community colleges (RMSCCs) and offers future directions for research and practice to bring more visibility to these essential institutions.