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Abstract
After two centuries of extraordinary public higher education in the United States that was both well-funded and high quality, the bond between public research universities and the public good is facing ever-increasing challenges. Privatization of public higher education describes a change in a public university's relationship with the state in governance and autonomy, control of tuition and enrollment, and increased alternative revenue sources including research and philanthropy. The purpose of this study was to understand the strategies of privatization at highly selective public research universities, the ways that they define and carry out their public mission, and how these universities and their states balance institutional interests with the historic public mission.
The results of this study reveal that while autonomy and finance are critical in understanding privatization, state context and mission are even more foundational. Utilizing Bruce Johnstone's "Continuum of Privatization" (2002) as a conceptual framework, two in-depth qualitative case studies were conducted at the University of Virginia and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. By interviewing nearly 100 state legislators, governors and policy makers in addition to university leaders, this study led to the creation of a new conceptual framework for privatization—"Foundations of Privatization: A Model for Public Research Universities." This new model accounts for the importance and role of state context (mission, history and culture), vision and focus, enrollment and access, and leadership in addition to the most often discussed elements of autonomy and finance.
The search for balance between institutional interests and the public purposes inherent in higher education showcases the complexity of the future for public higher education. This new model for privatization is a framework for identifying and considering the complex foundational layers involved as institutions and their states assess their own circumstances and strategies for privatization. In particular, this study creates a better understanding of what privatization currently means at highly selective public research universities and the implications for how institutions that increasingly represent a public-private partnership can serve the public good.
