Impact of Place/Space on Rural Community College Human Resource Management: A Systematic Review

Abstract

In the following systematic review, the author examines how rural community college leaders address the unique challenges and strengths of working in a rural environment as they strive to retain, support, develop, compensate, and invest in their employees. Factors such as geographic isolation, small population sizes, and close-knit social networks require the rural leader to rely more heavily on locally available resources and existing infrastructure to support leadership decisions. Using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses alongside Flora and Flora’s 2008 Community Capital Framework, this systematic review synthesizes research that addresses human resource issues and explores human capital investment strategies employed by rural community college leadership. This article has important implications for future leadership development and training strategies across the community college sector, making clear the need for contextualized, strengths-based research that utilizes the experiences of rural community college leaders.