By: Ashley Mowreader and Sandra Barone
The topline:
- Americans have the most trust in their public regional colleges, creating opportunities for local partnerships to flourish.
- Institutions can establish trust by demonstrating a college’s economic returns for the local community and graduates, addressing concerns about cost and access.
- Colleges can also invite community members to engage in events, courses and civic engagement opportunities, building strong relationships with stakeholders.
In recent years, trust in higher education institutions has waned as Americans grapple with the high costs of college, rising student loan debt and murky career outcomes for graduates.
However, there are opportunities for colleges to rebuild confidence among stakeholders in the regions they serve: building a strong town-and-gown relationship that demonstrates the economic benefits of higher education for communities and individuals.
Americans Trust Public, Local Institutions
While many national surveys show the average American doesn’t trust higher education as a sector, there are some nuances to these statistics, as some types of colleges inspire more trust than others.
More Americans say they trust public institutions (46 percent) compared to those who say they trust private institutions (30 percent), according to a 2025 survey from Vanderbilt University. Similarly, a 2026 study from the Institute for Citizens & Scholars found, across institution types, respondents were more likely to indicate they have strong trust in their local public flagship institutions and community colleges, compared to out-of-state or elite colleges.
These findings suggest that a college that is considered accessible and connected to its community is more likely to be trusted by the public. For college leaders, this creates an opportunity to engage stakeholders in their region to build strong relationships and affirm higher education’s value and trustworthiness.
Building Trust Through Community Impact
Public, local colleges and universities are important financial anchors in their communities. There are many avenues through which these institutions benefit their local economies: through the creation of jobs, through their own direct spending and the spending of their students, employees and visitors, and through the increased wages of alumni, many of whom remain in the area after graduation. Some colleges, such the University of Iowa, are the main employers in the region, with UI supporting as many as one in 10 jobs in the state.
As stakeholders increasingly question the value of their tax investments and tuition dollars, institutions can demonstrate their value by quantifying these positive financial impacts. To this end, many colleges are commissioning economic impact reports.
One example: Austin Community College District (ACC) partnered with Trellis Strategies to conduct an analysis of the ways ACC campuses contribute to the local economy. The report found ACC adds over $2 billion to the region’s economy each year, including graduate earnings, spending by visitors and indirect and induced economic activity. A large share of ACC’s graduates remain in the area after finishing the degree, with nearly seven in 10 graduates living and working in the greater Austin area, contributing to a flourishing community.
The report also highlights the non-financial ways in which ACC engages with its community. In addition to adding economic value to the region, ACC serves as a community hub, hosting a variety of conferences, summits, and celebrations. ACC engages high school students in underserved communities through college preparation programs and by enrolling thousands in dual-enrollment. The college also reaches older adults in the community through “Morning at the Mall” events. By serving not only its student body but the general public as well, this public, local institution is able to further build trust and bolster its value in its community.
Creating Trust Between Colleges and Constituents
To build public trust, institutions must also understand the needs of the populations they serve. College leaders should investigate institutional data including student demographics and enrollment trends to understand the unique composition of their student body. Surveying students directly can highlight challenges or barriers to student success and provide actionable insights for leaders.
Many surveys show that students enroll in higher education to achieve career goals or socioeconomic mobility, making career development and employment opportunities critical components of student development. Trellis Strategies’ Fall 2025 Student Financial Wellness survey, for example, found that 72 percent of respondents attending four-year universities and 78 percent of those attending two-year colleges agreed or strongly agreed that the cost of college is a good investment for their financial future.
As such, thriving employer relations are critical to helping students reach their dreams and meet workforce demands. Colleges should have continuous conversations with employers to connect academic programs to in-demand jobs, provide meaningful work-based learning experiences for students including internships and apprenticeships, and showcase employment opportunities for graduates.
Another way colleges can demonstrate their commitment to students and stakeholders in their region is by fostering civic engagement. Empowering students to be active and thoughtful members of their communities is a core tenant of many higher education institutions’ missions, and highlighting the ways in which the institution develops civic engagement in their learners can restore trust in the educational mission and develop bonds with outside community members.
The University of Maryland system is one example of a public, land-grant institution with a dedicated civic engagement center that offers free, regular programming to students and the general public looking to foster constructive dialogue, learn more about issues in their community or use their voice to advocate for issues they care about. By opening up for public discussion and learning, colleges can give back to their regions as well as strengthen town and gown relationships.
Ashley Mowreader is a freelance data journalist. Previously, Ashley worked for Inside Higher Ed, covering barriers to student success nationally, with a focus on evidence-based solutions. She holds a bachelor’s in journalism from Pepperdine University and is currently pursuing her master’s in journalism from the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY.
Sandra Barone is a Research Manager at Trellis Strategies, where she has built a two-plus decades-long career grounded in quantitative research and data analytics. She holds a bachelor’s in Economics from Bryn Mawr College and master’s in Economics from the University of Wisconsin–Madison and has also served as an instructor and academic advisor at Gonzaga University.