A summary of the different external influences upon higher education--particularly public higher education. Based upon Chapters 5,6, & 8 from: Altbach, P. G., Gumport, P. J., & Berdahl, R. O. (2011). American higher education in the twenty-first century: Social, political, and economic challenges. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. Good tidings, Lance Lance Eaton he/him/his http://www.ByAnyOtherNerd.com https://twitter.com/leaton01 https://www.linkedin.com/in/leaton01/ ____________________ I wish I had all the answers; better yet, I wish I knew all the questions to ask.

1. No College Is an Island: The
Federal, State, and External
Constituencies of a College
Lance Eaton
@leaton01
Lance.eaton@gmail.com
Based upon Chapters 5,6, & 8 from: Altbach, P. G., Gumport, P. J., &
Berdahl, R. O. (2011). American higher education in the twenty-first
century: Social, political, and economic challenges. Baltimore: Johns
Hopkins University Press.

2. External Influences on a College
Federal government.
State government.
External Organizations

3. The State
Main funding source for higher education.
Influential but colleges have some autonomy
(Dartmouth College v. Woodward).
Mutual responsibility between state and higher
education.
Different governing structures: consolidated,
segmented, campus-level.
Governance vs coordination structures.

4. The State
State control (and level of funding) is a continuum
from institute as state agency to institute as its own
corporate identity.
States look to higher education funding as a
budget-balancer.
Two forms of budgeting: Performance funding
(focused) and Performance budgeting (flexible).
Very little unity when it comes to defending the
public good of higher education in public sphere.

5. External Associations
Private Foundations: Financers of different projects (Bill &
Melinda Gates Foundation).
Membership Organizations: Advocates (American
Council on Education).
Accrediting Organizations: Validating & standardizing
organizations (New England Association of Schools and
Colleges).
Consortia: Cooperative agreements and resource
pooling. (Community College Consortium for Open
Educational).
Regional Compacts: Local quasi-governmental entities
(New England Board of Higher Education).

6. The Federal Government & Higher
Education
1. Legislation
2. Funding Support
3. Regulations
4. Challenges

7. Significant Legislation: Constitution
Preamble: "promote the general Welfare.“
Article 1: Section 8: "To promote the Progress of
Science and useful Arts, by securing for limited Times
to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to their
respective Writings and Discoveries.“
10th Amendment - All powers not explicit in the
Constitution remain within states to decide.

8. Significant Legislation:
Morrill Land Grant Act of 1862
Slow growth until 1862.
Westward expansion.
30,000 acres of Federal land to be used or sold for
establishment of a state-college.
Moved beyond traditional liberal arts & religious
focus of eastern colleges.
Focused on agriculture and sciences.
37 institutions formed

9. Significant Legislation: GI Bill of 1944
Funding to WWII G.I.'s for retraining into civilian life.
Equalized in benefits to all who served.

10. Significant Legislation:
Higher Education Act of 1965
Great Society (Johnson).
Federal financial aid made available to wider
socioeconomic range of students.

11. Funding Support Changes
19th century: Money goes to state and state disperses
20th & 21st: Money goes to institutions and students--
bypasses state.

12. 4 Types of Funding from the Federal Government
 Student aid.
 Tax benefits for students.
 Tax benefits for nonprofit institutions.
 Research grants.
 Funding is scattershot across federal government, making it
harder to track.

13. 3 Forms of Student Aid
Pell Grant.
Stafford Student Loan (Subsidized; Unsubsidized
version came in 1992).
Campus-based programs (work study, Perkins Loan,
Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant
Program).

14. Fed Response to Rising Costs (1980s)
1. Removing standards for need-based funding to
open it to more people.
2. Rapid expansion of loan programs.

15. Federal Support with Tax Policy
Exclusions.
Exemptions.
Credits.
Deductions.
However, many of these are directed toward and
benefit middle/upper class.

16. Federal Funding of Research
Highly concentrated on research institutes.
Funding from Defense, Energy, NASA, Agriculture, etc.
Initial funding increased in mid-20th because of Cold
War.
Plateaued in 2000s.
Increase of funding that is earmarked by Congress
(partly, to diversify).

17. Federal Regulation
Accountability.
Implications from federal legislation, regulation, judicial
decisions, and executive orders that relate to social
policy (unfunded mandates).
Desegregation (Civil Rights Act of 1965)
Gender equality (Title IX of FERPA, 1972)
Access for people with disabilities (Individuals with Disabilities
Education Act)

18. The Current Challenges of the Federal
Government & Higher Education
Continued decrease of state funding puts bigger
demand on federal student aid system.
Balancing and addressing the loan/grant funding
for students.
Concerns about the soaring student debt.
More limitations on research autonomy as funding is
more tightly controlled.
Higher educations’ continual request for less
regulation.

19. Lingering Considerations & Questions
1. Lack of research funding and diminishing returns
on public research with large social benefits.
2. Challenges of unfunded mandates.
3. Increasing interdependence on foundations, state
and federal funding that comes with strings.
4. Decreased access to minority groups/increased
debt to access higher education.