AN UNLIKELY TRIUMPH
however, “university” refers to the highest levels of postsecondary education, which offers bachelors and graduate degrees, while “college” refers to something more like what Americans would call a community college, offering associate degrees and vocational training. So when Brits or Canadians say: “I’m going to university,” it carries an elitist edge. But for Americans, the term university is considered a bit prissy and pretentious. They tend to prefer saying: “I’m going to college,” whether that institution is Harvard or the local trade school. This is quite misleading, since U.S. higher education is extraordinarily stratified, with the benefits varying radically according to the status of the institution. But it is also characteristically populist, an assertion that college is accessible to nearly anyone. By the 21st century, U.S. universities accounted for 52 of the top 100 in the world, and 16 of the top 20. C oming into the 20th century, another advantage enjoyed by the system was that U.S. colleges and universities tended to enjoy a relatively high degree of autonomy. This was most obvious in the case of the private not-for-profit institutions that still account for the majority of U.S. higher- education institutions. A lay board owns the institution and appoints the president, who serves as CEO, sets the budget, and administers faculty and staff. Private universities now receive a lot of government money, especially for research grants and student loans and scholarships, but they have
broad discretion over tuition, pay, curriculum, and organization. This allows the university to adapt quickly to changing market conditions, respond to funding opportunities, develop new programs, and open research centers. Public universities are subject to governance from the state, which provides appropriations in support of core functions and also shapes policy. This limits flexibility about issues such as budget, tuition, and pay. But state funding covers only a portion of total expenses, with the share declining as you go up the institutional status ladder. Flagship public research universities in the U.S. often receive less than 20% of their budget from the state; for the University of Virginia, the portion is below 5%. Regional state universities receive around half of their funds from the state. So public institutions need to supplement their funds using the same methods as private institutions – with student tuition, research grants, fees for services, and donations. And this gives them considerable latitude in following the lead of the privates in adapting to the market and pursuing opportunities. Public research universities have the greatest autonomy from state control. And the public universities that have long topped the rankings – the University of California and the University of Michigan – have their autonomy guaranteed in the state constitution. It turns out that autonomy is enormously important for a healthy and dynamic system of higher education. Universities operate best as emergent institutions, in which initiative
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