The Rural Communication Institute (RCI)
We are pleased you are visiting the website of the Rural Communication Institute at Tarleton State University. The Rural Communication Institute (#ThinkRuralComm) is focused on helping people live, learn, and thrive in rural areas of Texas, the United States, and beyond.
Mission
- To serve as the primary resource for rural communication in the United States while connecting individuals in rural areas to resources to help them live, learn, and thrive.
Objectives
- Serving as a research and informational resource focused on rural communication for governmental organizations (national, state, local), educational institutions, and non-profit organizations.
- Addressing and developing best practices for the eradication of systemic bias in rural communities in the areas of education, housing, and health.
- Providing high impact experiences for rural scholars, graduate students, and undergraduate students.
If your organization would like to form a partnership with the Rural Communication Institute, please contact us: 254-307-8211 or jtedwards@tarleton.edu.
Meet Our Rural Communication Leadership Team
- Dr. Jennifer T. Edwards, Executive Director/Content Expert
- Dr. Subi Gandhi Assistant Director/Content Expert (Rural Health)
Meet Our Rural Communication Scholars
- Ava Francesca Battocchio - Michigan State University (Lansing, MI)
- Clinton Brown - Marshall University (Huntington, WV)
- Courtney Cole - Regis College (Weston, MA)
- Xuewei Chen - Oklahoma State University (Stillwater, OK)
- Ashleigh Day - University of Texas at Tyler (Tyler, TX)
- Subi Gandhi - Tarleton State University (Stephenville, TX)
- Allison Hahn - City University of New York (New York City, NY)
- Kevin Hales - University of Missouri (Columbia, MO)
- Son Mai - McNeese State University (Lake Charles, LA)
- Rob Patterson - University of Virginia/McIntire School of Commerce (Crozet, VA)
- Nicola Ritter - Texas A&M University (College Station, TX)
- Ashli Stokes - University of North Carolina - Charlotte (Charlotte, NC)
- Bryce Tellmann - South Dakota School of Mines & Technology (Rapid City, SD)
- Bradley Wolfe - Ridgewater College (Nicollet, MN)
Meet Our Rural Communication Undergraduate and Graduate Student Fellows
Our Rural Master's, Doctoral, and Communication Practitioner Fellows are:
- Shitara Taylor, Tarleton State University
- Anna Laurent, M.A., Tarleton State University
- Lauryn Harris, Tarleton State University
- Ahmet Aksoy, Texas Tech University
- Sydney Brown, Tarleton State University
- Renata Maron, International Commmunication Practitioner Fellow
Our Rural Undergraduate Fellows are:
- Angela Castillo, Texas Wesleyan University
Currently, RCI hosts an annual Rural Communication Summit each fall. Connect with jtedwards@tarleton.edu for more details.