ABSTRACT
This chapter aims to analyze the politics of higher education by showing how colleges and universities interact with various layers and levels of government and other related organizations. These include federal, state, and local agencies in such matters as legislation, lobbying, policy formulation, program delivery, regulation, and court cases. This profile analyzes higher education in terms of government and public policy. State legislatures have been the linchpin of strong government relations with colleges and universities. The chapter discusses the historic power of state governments to confer charters. In addition to this power, state governments also have been the foremost funding source for public higher education, such as state colleges, state universities, and public community colleges. Congress and state legislators increasingly ask for higher education to provide systematic data on the effectiveness and efficiency of academic programs. The demand is for measurable outcomes of student performance, along with data on faculty productivity.
