Structural diversity focuses on the ways in which institutions are organized and controlled. Structural diversity is most often defined in terms of the type of institutional control, public or private. Publicly controlled institutions are primarily funded by the government (usually state governments) and are usually part of a larger state system. Private institutions are largely funded by nongovernmental sources and are usually independent with their own private governing boards. There are many more private institutions in the United States than there are public colleges and universities, although public higher education has grown considerably since the 1960s.
Although there is no national system of higher education, all states have developed some type of public postsecondary education system. There are several ways in which these systems are structured and organized. State colleges and universities differ both in the way they are governed and in the way they are coordinated as part of a larger state system. All states assign responsibility for public colleges and universities to governing boards, and there are three basic types of governing board structures: consolidated governing systems, segmented systems, and single institution boards. Consolidated boards are responsible for all public institutions of higher education in a particular state, although in some states this may apply only to four-year institutions. Segmented systems have different governing bodies for different types of campuses; in some states this may mean that public research universities are governed by one board, the state’s general education colleges by another board, and community colleges by another board.
States that use single-institution boards give autonomy of governance to each state campus, allowing each to have its own board. State boards vary in the extent to which they have formal governance authority and in the extent to which they simply coordinate activities in the public higher education sector without any substantive decision-making authority. States that use single-institution boards give autonomy of governance to each state campus, allowing each to have its own board. State boards vary in the extent to which they have formal governance authority and in the extent to which they simply coordinate activities in the public higher education sector without any substantive decision-making authority. States that use single-institution boards give autonomy of governance to each state campus, allowing each to have its own board. State boards vary in the extent to which they have formal governance authority and in the extent to which they simply coordinate activities in the public higher education sector without any substantive decision-making authority.
Public institutions in these systems tend to fall into one of three main categories: universities, public colleges, and community colleges. Public universities typically award a full range of degrees (master’s and doctoral degrees), tend to focus on research, and tend to have large enrollments. Public colleges are usually smaller in size, may serve a specific region of the state, and usually offer both undergraduate and graduate degrees. Community colleges are two-year colleges that provide associate degrees, preparation for transfer to four-year institutions, vocational education and training, and a large number of continuing education offerings. Some public institutions have been identified as land-grant institutions. Land granting institutions were first established by the Morrill Act of 1862.
Private institutions are more difficult to characterize than their public counterparts. Private institutions encompass the full range of missions and structures of American higher education. The most prestigious and carefully selected institutions, whether Ivy League research universities or small liberal arts colleges, are private; but so are the lesser-known institutions.
