This month, we're proud to introduce a major new RCCA initiative: the Alliance Academies, a year-long professional learning experience designed to strengthen the leadership capacity of rural community colleges across the country.

These two Academies—one focused on Student Success and the other on Fund Development—will bring together teams from ten RCCA member colleges to engage in collaborative learning, applied planning, and sustained peer support. Through in-person gatherings, monthly check-ins, and quarterly interactive learning sessions, participating colleges will dive deep into strategies for improving outcomes and expanding impact.

Participation in an Academy will require a short application, and spots will be limited to ensure a meaningful, engaged cohort experience. To apply, your institution must be an RCCA member—so if you're not yet part of the Alliance, now is a great time to join.

The launch of the Alliance Academies comes at a critical time. Rural colleges continue to face challenges around enrollment, staffing, and financial stability—but they also remain deeply embedded in their communities, uniquely positioned to create solutions that reflect local realities. These Academies are designed to meet leaders where they are, offering a supportive space to tackle complex issues and grow the leadership needed to guide rural colleges into the future.

This initiative also represents an evolution in how RCCA serves its members. In addition to offering advocacy and our Alliance Learning Series, we’re investing in sustained, applied learning that empowers colleges to make real change. The Alliance Academies are not just professional development—they're about building a learning community that lasts.

Investing in People: Building Leadership from Within

As we look to the future, one of the most powerful moves a rural college can make is to grow its leadership from within. That means identifying promising talent already on campus—people who understand the local context, who have earned community trust, and who are ready for the next level of responsibility. Too often we focus our energy outward when some of our best resources are already in the room. The Alliance Academies are designed to help rural colleges recognize, cultivate, and retain this internal talent, creating succession plans and leadership pipelines that are both sustainable and mission-aligned.

Rural Colleges Are Not Just Smaller Colleges

It’s important to recognize that rural colleges aren’t just urban or suburban colleges with fewer students—they are fundamentally different institutions, shaped by their geography, economies, and histories. Rural colleges serve expansive areas, often with limited infrastructure, and are deeply woven into the cultural and economic fabric of their regions. They are not only educational institutions but also workforce hubs, community centers, and sources of hope. The Alliance Academies will honor that uniqueness by tailoring content and support to the lived realities of rural leadership.

Stay tuned for application details, and thank you—as always—for the work you do to support your students and communities.

Board Member Feature: Carrie Warick-Smith, Vice President-Public Policy, ACCT 

The Need of Federal Programs for the Success of Community Colleges

District Work; Not Recess

While much of the country has holidays or spring break on their minds, these two weeks in April, when Congress leaves Washington, are a great opportunity for colleges to build relationships with their elected officials. Colloquially, the time away may be known as recess, but officially, it’s District Work Period and a good time to lean into the work.

As your elected officials are in their home districts, college leaders can take advantage of local offices for in-person meetings. District work periods are also an occasion to invite officials or their staff to campus. They can join a major event, tour a program or facility, or receive an invitation for graduation. Congress will be considering new laws that will affect higher education if passed. It’s vital that your representative knows your campus and considers how new laws, policies, and regulations will affect community colleges, not just headline-making universities. 

When meeting with your elected official, there are several timely topics to discuss. Congress is embarking on the FY26 appropriations process as well as attempting a budget reconciliation process. For appropriations, now is the time to ask for community-directed spending (earmark) funds for your campus, not to mention support for federal programs that support our students and colleges. Examples of these programs include the Pell Grant, Federal Work-Study, Federal Supplemental Education Opportunity Grant (FSEOG), the Strengthening Institutions Program (SIP), and Strengthening Community College Training Grants (SCCTG). For reconciliation discussions, stress the need to use mandatory spending funds to sure up the Pell Grant shortfall and caution Congress to tread carefully when designing any higher education accountability programs. The goal of these programs should be high-quality education, not creating offsets for a budgetary process.

If you’re unsure where to begin, check out acct.org/advocacy, which includes an action center and other resources. Presidents from ACCT member institutions can also use our toolkits, available on ACCT Connect (Top Right of ACCT.org). Our blog, Now.Acct.Org, is a great resource for a wide range of higher education topics. You can also sign up there for the Latest Action in Washington updates, which are delivered to your email inbox every Monday and Thursday.

Carrie Warick-Smith

Vice President-Public Policy, ACCT 

We’re excited to invite you to the next webinar in the Alliance Learning Series:

Impact Now - How to Maximize Your Board's Impact on the College and Community

Date: Friday, April 18

Time: 1 - 2 PM PST

Presented by Joseph April and Dr. John Rainone, this webinar is tailored for small to mid-sized community colleges aiming to amplify their boards’ impact. With decades of combined experience and over $400 million raised for community colleges and nonprofits, they both bring unparalleled expertise in resource development, board leadership, and fundraising for institutions like yours.

You'll gain actionable insights to enhance board engagement, strengthen community relationships, and align mission-driven strategies for long-term success.

Key Takeaways Include:



• Transforming your board into a forward-thinking, high-impact team.
• Strengthening fundraising efforts through co-creation and mission-driven leadership.
• Building lasting relationships that sustain your institution’s vision.

Let’s work together to create meaningful change in our colleges and communities. We hope to see you there!

👉 Save Your Spot Now

The Kubota Tractor Corporation invites applications to its annual Hometown Proud grant program.

Through the program, 10 grants of $50,000 will be awarded in support of community-based projects and initiatives that will positively impact the community at large. Grants will include $25,000 cash and a $25,000 equipment voucher. 

Now in its fifth year, the Kubota Hometown Proud grant program has helped fund various projects across the country, from building agricultural education centers to revitalizing community gardens.

For complete program guidelines and application instructions, see the Kubota Tractor Corporation website.

Accepting Entries: April 3 - May 9, 2025

More From our Friends at ACCT

We're excited to announce that the 2025 #CCMonth campaign toolkit is now available on the ACCT website!

This year's campaign theme is

"Best Decision Ever."

This student-centered theme emphasizes what we at ACCT hear so often from so many people — that choosing to attend a community college is one of the best decisions they ever made. 

Every community college and every student is unique, and we encourage you to tailor this message to make it as personal, as universal, and as impactful as possible. The combination of workforce training, traditional liberal arts and sciences education, community service, and business partnerships is what makes community colleges special and what makes them a special value for students.

In recent years, federal agencies and elected officials, governors and others have participated in #CCMonth. We hope you will use the toolkit as inspiration to engage people and organizations that can bring positive attention to your college and maybe even to secure increased resources for your institution — it's happened before!

The toolkit has been updated with new information and additional resources to support this theme, along with evergreen resources, including:

• The #CCMonth logo for your use in promotions alongside your college logo.
• Talking points for community college advocates and students.
• Suggested social media posts & tips.
• A sample press release for college use.
• Sample op-eds, blog posts, proclamations and board resolutions.
• And more to come, including updated graphics!