ABSTRACT
The United States is unusual among nations in that it does not have a strong Ministry of Education. A result is that higher education as an activity and enterprise is subject to jurisdiction parceled out among federal, state, and local governments. State governments historically have been most immediate and definitive in oversight of colleges and universities because institutional charters are conferred by the states. The federal role has increased substantially due to its horizontal role as a source of legislation for funding in the areas of student financial aid and in sponsored large scale research and development projects. Local government endures as integral in “town and gown” relations of campus and community. Colleges and universities have historically enjoyed restraint in government oversight, although this has shifted in the past fifty years due to litigation over institutional compliance in such areas as civil rights, social justice, health and safety measures and public responsibility in research projects. Partisan disputes within colleges and universities has increased government intervention in academic affairs.
