A national model for indigenization of higher education for rural regions

Abstract

The Southern Illinois Collegiate Common Market (SICCM), located in the state of Illinois, USA, was established in 1973. This consortium is composed of five regional community colleges and one university (two campuses) to provide programs and services that address important regional issues and needs. The regional consortium has administered projects that include telecommunications/distance learning, welfare-to-work, allied health education, economic development, faculty development and sharing, curriculum development and other aspects of serving higher education and community needs. The educational programs offer opportunities to residents of 23 southernmost counties. More than 70% of these counties are located in the Lower Mississippi Delta Region, designated as the poorest region in the USA. These Southern Illinois counties are depressed economiGally, have high unemployment rates, and are underserved educationally. A major objective of the consortium is to collectively offer healthcare programs individual colleges and their districts cannot support because of both high programmatic costs and the probability of graduate over-saturation of the local job market. In rural USA settings, healthcare facilities are limited. SICCM programs provide opportunities for rural residents to become allied health professionals, allowing them to remain in their communities. Since 1988, five allied health programs have been coll aboratively developed between the community colleges, including: Health Information Technology (1988), Medical Laboratory Technology (l 993), Occupational Therapy Assistant ( 1994), Surgical Technology (1999), and Veterinary Technology (2007). All of the current allied health programs have had nearly 100% student job placement since inception. The SICCM consortium demonstrates a successful collaborative model that could be employed in rural areas across the world.