ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the macro picture of higher education in the United States to give readers a better understanding of how institutions are generally organized and where there may be pockets of power. The political nature of organizations in general, and the hyper-political nature of higher education specifically, makes it increasingly important to understand the system, or lack-there-of, of higher education in the United States. The organizational charts that follow are meant to provide an example of what currently exists based on institutional type. These charts are not meant to be ideal models for institutional structure. The general organizational structure of individual institutions of higher education is bureaucratic and hierarchical in nature. Before looking at specific institutions, it may be relevant to look at how these institutions are governed. Within higher education institutions there are some titles that are often used interchangeably but may have slightly different functions depending on the state or campus structure.
