Kinds of universities and colleges

Date: 2015-10-07; view: 359.

Universities and colleges in the United States may be classified as (1) those operating under private sponsorship, and (2) those operating under public sponsorship. Private institutions may be church-related or nonsectarian. Public institutions may be sponsored by local government, state government, or the federal government. The military academies are examples of federally supported institutions. Most private liberal arts colleges are church-related, while most privately sponsored universities are not now associated with any church. Most public universities are sponsored by state governments. Most junior or community colleges are sponsored by local governments.

Income. All universities and colleges receive funds from a variety of sources. Private colleges depend primarily on student fees and on endowments and gifts for their operating income. Public institutions also have these sources, but depend mainly on state and local taxes for operating funds. Both public and private institutions may receive federal funds for research activities. The federal government distributes aid among colleges and universities according to various formulas. These formulas are based on the number of students in scholarship and loan programs, and on the enrollment of graduate students and veterans.

Both public and private institutions receive funds for construction from several sources. These sources include federal, state, and local grants or loans; gifts; student fees; and endowments.

Governing boards. Most universities and colleges are controlled by a board of trustees or a board of regents. Boards of trustees of private institutions usually elect their own members. The church body may elect the trustees of a church-related institution. The alumni association of a private institution often elects some of the trustees. The trustees of public institutions are usually appointed by the governor of the state. The voters sometimes elect the trustees or regents.

Boards of trustees or regents approve educational policies. They also appoint the chief administrative officer of the institution. In some states, coordinating committees and boards exercise supervision over those institutions financially assisted by the state.

Most church-related colleges except seminaries admit students of any religious denomination. Some of them expect all students to attend chapel exercise and to study some religious courses. But some church-related colleges apply these rules only to students of the same religious faith.

In the United States, the federal government has encouraged the development of universities and colleges since the time of the Northwest Ordinance of 1787. The Morrill Act of 1862 provided land grants to all states to support colleges that, among other subjects, would teach agriculture and the mechanical arts. In some instances, these land grants were given to existing state universities. In other cases, new institutions were established. Many are now major universities.

Seven Canadian provinces sponsor and support universities. Some provinces have also founded technical, agricultural, and junior colleges. The first provincial university was the University of Toronto. It was founded in 1827 as King's College.