Regional, Rural, Remote marginalisation from Higher Education: Isolation, mobility and the role of the Country Universities Centres

This report explores some of the persistent challenges associated with higher education access and participation in RRR places and the role of the CUCs. It explores how initiatives such as the CUCs offer the potential for a reimagining of higher education for communities in ways that are centred on those who cannot, or do not want to leave RRR places for the purposes of higher education study. Using a methodology that reinforces the importance of researching ‘in place’, qualitative interviews were conducted with 38 students in four New South Wales (NSW) towns where a CUC is located: Cooma, Griffith, Kempsey, and Broken Hill. These places were selected to reflect a range of differences that include demographics, major industries, ‘remoteness’, and how long each CUC has been operational. Issues canvassed with students begin within the experience of studying online in RRR places without, or prior to, the establishment of the CUCs. In most RRR places, higher education access is still reported to be fundamentally concerned with whether to leave their communities in pursuit of opportunities in metropolitan areas, or to stay and chance missing out on studying remotely. Report prepared for the Centre of Excellence for Equity in Higher Education. This research was funded by the Centre of Excellence for Equity in Higher Education (CEEHE) at the University of Newcastle, NSW. As the scope of the report grew, additional funding was subsequently sourced through a University of Newcastle internal grant scheme, with matched in-kind funding from the Country Universities Centre to cover the support of its staff in organising those interviews.