The stereotype of rural Americans “left behind” by the economy doesn’t hold water, according to a new report from the Georgetown University Center for Education and the Workforce.

The counterintuitive rural-employment outlook could help explain flagging enrollments at many colleges in rural areas in recent years and may contribute to the public narrative that college isn’t worth the expense and trouble. But the report’s authors see an opportunity for colleges alongside the challenge.

In the mission to build robust economies, many state and local leaders are focused on establishing the right conditions to attract employers. But bringing jobs to a state or community is only one half of the equation; the other half is developing the talent to fill them. That's where higher education comes in.

The state of Michigan understands this connection. All across the state, efforts stemming largely from state leadership are working toward a shared goal of smoothing and accelerating the journey for adults to gain the skills they need to build the economy Michigan wants.

Marty Correia thought she was closer to ridding herself of student debt when, in 2022, she learned about President Joe Biden's plan to waive the rules of a loan forgiveness program for public service workers.

But Correia’s excitement soon faded after her loan servicer deemed the decades-old debt ineligible. She's not alone. A little-known provision of a defunct federal lending program is shutting out student loan borrowers like Correia from Biden’s debt relief efforts.