Many colleges yearn for university status.

Many colleges yearn for university status.

http://tinyurl.com/hvhqo

 

Well, of course, many colleges are wannabes that lust after university status. But is all this self-promotion from college to university a good thing? I think all this self-promotion dilutes the distinction between universities and colleges. Universities are supposed to be research institutions that train doctoral students while colleges are supposed to be teaching institutions that train undergrads. I think we're losing that distinction.

 

Re: Re: Many colleges yearn for university status.

I agree...there is a persistent "inflation" driven by ego, desire to offer more programs (empire building) and desire for access to more Govt. grants. Harper College, a CC in the NW Chicago metro actually has a team lobbying the state legislature to become a 4-year college - so that they can "hold on" to their students thru the junior and senior years.

 

What's the difference between college and university? Is it size? That would be the only difference I would seek

 

Size is one difference, but not the only one. Colleges are primarily undergraduate institutions and emphasize teaching. Universities are supposed to have graduate programs and emphasize research. Too many colleges want to call themselves universities only because "it sounds more prestigious." To call yourself a university when you are not a major research center dilutes the meaning of the name "university."

 

I think the distinction has already been lost in the United States. My own alma mater Coastal Carolina University is truly a large liberal arts college. There are no doctorates offered here and only a handful of master's (primarily in education). At best, it is a combination liberal arts college/state teacher's college.

It's not a new issue and it's not going away. It seems many institutions are playing the name game these days and renaming themselves university when they do not in fact follow that tradition.

These days, one can't determine anything at all by the use of university or college. I'm sure that some colleges have wonderful research programs and offer doctoral studies -- many universities do not.

 

And who cares?

Are you suggesting that teaching colleges using the name "university" somehow has a negative effect on the ability of traditional research institutions to continue their work?

Or that the research performed at colleges, while less in quantity, is also less in quality? Are their studies any less worthy of grants or publication?

Otherwise, what is this but semantics?

 

Agreed.

 

I'm simply saying that when a college starts calling itself a university merely because it sounds more prestigious when the college has not become a major research institution, it comes off sounding like false advertising.

 

Next trend would be Community colleges calling themselves Universities...

For Example -
Miami-Dade Community College would be Miami-Dade University or Miami-Dade Community University !!!

 

Some thought may be desireable re:

Tier - Tier IV schools (rankings)
1. Universities
2. University colleges
2. Colleges
3. Teaching colleges

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/College#Universities_and_colleges

 

Interesting. Hadn't quite thought of other nomenclatures beyond just "college" and "university."

 

It not always obvious what the best place is...for example, a Tier I university may actually result in a poor education...the faculty do research, their TA's teach the classes...and the student may have a degree with superior name recognition but be less competant than someone from an instituion with a teaching focus - hence the consistent push for "measureable outcomes" - which many institutions are fighting tooth and nail.

In CIS - one of the most "in-demand schools is not even RA - but their graduates starting salaries blow the other schools away - Neumont University.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neumont_University

 

The whole meaning and difference between College and university has long been lost in the US. For example, Dartmouth College very easily could be considered a university. In Rhode Island Bryant College recently(in the last two years) changed it's name to "Bryant University" , it's the same school and there isn't even any additional colleges within the univeristy, it's still primarly a business college. They some how think the name change is advantageous to attracting foreign students. I can honestly see why some traditional private "junior" colleges have made the transition to four year insitituitons. There is less of a demand for associate degrees in the workforce when compared to bachleor's and private non-profits need the revenue.

 

It wouldn't be a new trend at all! Indiana's Vincennes University kept the name when it became a two-year university in 1899. It was founded by William Henry Harrison in 1801 as Jefferson Academy, and was a four year institution for most of the 1800s.

 

Note that in Europe, "Akademie" is a very real (and prestigious) designation of an institution of higher education - causes no end of confusion for European expats in the US - but then so do our "institutes" and "colleges" that are state-approved vo-tech operations..