Empowering Rural Communities Through Research and Education
Aspen Drude, MBA, is using her research to elevate rural voices and examine how rural-serving universities strengthen the communities they call home.
“Being selected as an MDRC Rural Research Mentorship Network Scholar was especially meaningful to me because it affirmed the importance of the work I’ve chosen to pursue,” Drude said.
The National Rural Higher Education Research Center, led by MDRC, is working to expand educational opportunities and student success in rural communities across the country. Through research and partnerships with colleges, educators, and policymakers, the Center explores ways to strengthen college access, improve graduation rates, and help rural students achieve their educational and career goals. Its work aims to turn research into practical solutions that empower students and strengthen rural communities.
Her research focuses on rural communities and the institutions that serve them, particularly rural-serving regional public universities. She is interested in how these institutions expand educational opportunity, support local workforces and contribute to the strength and vitality of their communities.
“Rural populations and institutions have often been underrepresented in higher education research,” Drude said. “Being part of a network specifically committed to advancing rigorous rural research was both personally validating and professionally significant.”
The mentorship network gave Drude the opportunity to learn from scholars with different methodological, disciplinary and geographic perspectives while building a community of researchers committed to rural education.
Among those scholars was Dr. Andrew Koricich, whose work helped shape the rural-serving institution designation. For Drude, whose research centers on rural-serving regional public universities, the opportunity to learn from a scholar whose work helped define how these institutions are understood was particularly meaningful. The experience also challenged her to think more critically about how rurality shapes educational access, opportunity and outcomes.
“One of the most valuable aspects of the program was that I did not feel as though I had just one mentor,” Drude said. “I had the opportunity to learn from multiple scholars who brought different perspectives, areas of expertise, and experiences to rural education research.”
That broader perspective has informed how Drude approaches the challenges facing rural communities. She believes researchers and policymakers must recognize that rural communities are diverse, with needs that vary according to geography, economic conditions, population characteristics and access to resources. Issues such as health care access, educational opportunity, workforce shortages, transportation and broadband connectivity are often interconnected, making it essential to understand the unique circumstances of each community.
Drude is particularly interested in the role higher education institutions play in addressing these challenges.
“Regional public universities, community colleges, hospitals, schools, and other local organizations often provide infrastructure, and resources that extend far beyond their primary missions,” she said.
Her research examines how rural-serving universities can expand educational access while contributing to workforce development, social mobility and the long-term vitality of the regions they serve. Just as importantly, she believes the conversation about rural communities must recognize their strengths alongside their challenges.
“Rural research and policy should move beyond a deficit-based approach,” Drude said. “Rural communities certainly face significant structural challenges, but they also possess tremendous strengths, knowledge, relationships, and capacity.”
That belief also shapes how she views the relationship between education and rural community development. Drude hopes to challenge the misconception that students must leave rural communities to be successful, emphasizing instead the potential for education to strengthen the places students call home.
“That assumption can unintentionally position education as a pathway out of rural places rather than as an investment in them,” she said.
For Drude, ensuring rural communities are represented in research is essential to developing policies and programs that reflect their experiences. When research focuses primarily on urban and suburban populations, solutions may not adequately address the needs of rural communities.
“Researchers should not only study the challenges rural communities face, but also learn from the people who live, work, and lead within them,” she said.
As Drude reflects on her experience as an MDRC Rural Research Mentorship Network Scholar, she hopes the relationships she developed will continue to shape her work throughout her career.
“The program reinforced for me that meaningful research is not produced in isolation,” Drude said. “It grows through collaboration, mentorship, and relationships with people who challenge you to think differently, and approach your work with greater purpose.”
Looking ahead, she hopes to continue collaborating with members of the network and eventually provide similar mentorship and support to emerging scholars interested in rural education research.
Through her scholarship, Drude aims to help ensure rural communities are not simply studied but heard—and that the institutions serving them are recognized as essential partners in expanding educational opportunity and building stronger communities.