State-Level Governance, U.S.

U.S. states employ a range of structures to govern postsecondary institutions operating both physically and virtually within their borders. While states are most interested in the stewardship of their public 2- and 4-year institutions, they also can exert influence over private non- and for-profit institutions. State agency-level organizations have been developed to provide centralized oversight and services, direct or coordinate institutional operations, and report the status of respective systems and institutions to state leaders. This entry discusses the origin of state-level governance of higher education, governing and coordinating organizations and their powers and services, tensions over the balance between state authority and local control, and the impact of population changes and technology on state-level governance.

State governance organizations are rooted in the expansion of public postsecondary ...