2 Preparing rural community college professionals Mitchell R. Williams Kevin L. Pennington Gene Couch Michael A. Dougherty Dr.Williams is an Assistant Profes- sor in the College of Education and Allied professions at Western Carolina University. Dr. Pennington is an Associate Professor in the College of Educa- tion and Allied Pro- fessions at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee, North Carolina. Dr. Couch is Vice President for Instruc- tion and Student Services at South- western Commu- nity College in Sylva, North Carolina. Dr. Dougherty is Dean of the Col- lege of Education and Allied Profes- sions at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee, North Carolina. A limited number of universities offer graduate programs that focus specifcally on preparing rural community college leaders. At the same time, community colleges are facing projections of unprecedented turnover in both administra- tive and instructional leadership. The rural community col- lege is a unique educational institution which faces distinct challenges in meeting its mission in regions traditionally un- der-served by higher education. Future leadership in the ru- ral community college will require innovative thinking by the colleges themselves and colleges of education to prepare students who would like careers in rural institutions. The following case study suggests innovations to help colleges of education prepare leaders for rural community colleges. Introduction Researchers have identified many challenges unique to small, rural community colleges and the distinctive problems facing those who lead these institutions (Killacky, & Valadez, 1995; Pennington, Williams, & Karvonen, 2006). Community colleges are often t he only institu- tions of higher education serving rural America, and leaders of these institutions face challenges which are not found at other two-year colleg- es or at universities. Leaders need preparation through programs of study that will prepare them to address the community college’s spe- cial role in serving rural communities. Graduate programs in colleges of education have, howev- er, seldom adequately prepared leaders to meet the special needs of rural service regions.