Dimensions of Variance in the Proposed Typology of American Public Higher Education Systems - May 2026

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Jake

The typology of public higher education systems matters because system-level characteristics influence institutional behavior, policy implementation, performance, and student outcomes in ways often missed by purely institutional analyses. The article proposes a theoretical framework for dimensions of variance in the American public higher education typology, including mission, governance authority, scale, composition, funding models, and state social and economic context. It draws on system-level data covering 100+ systems nationwide and outlines next-step empirical application.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages15

Reading Time38 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

What is a System?

UC Berkeley Research and Occasional Papers Series Title Dimensions of Variance in the Proposed Typology of American Public Higher Education Systems Permalink [https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7f50h02w](https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7f50h02w) Journal Research and Occasional Paper Series, 3(26) Authors Khan, Maria Johnsen, James Publication Date 2026-05-01 Peer reviewed [eScholarship.org](eScholarship.org) Powered by the California Digital Library University of California Research & Occasional Paper Series: CSHE.3.2026 Dimensions of Variance in the Proposed Typology of American Public Higher Education Systems May 2026 Maria I. Khan, Ph.D. James R. Johnsen, Ed. D.1 Copyright 2026 Maria I. Khan and James R. Johnsen, all rights reserved. ABSTRACT The typology of public higher education systems is important because system-level characteristics shape institutional behavior, policy implementation, performance, and student outcomes in ways that institutional-level analyses often overlook. This article presents a theoretical framework for key dimensions of variance in the proposed typology of public higher education systems in America, including mission, governance authority, size and scale, institutional composition, funding models, and state social and economic context. It reflects patterns observed in system-level data spanning more than a hundred public higher education systems nationwide, recently compiled by the National Association of Higher Education Systems (NASH) . This work represents an early stage of inquiry and is intended to serve as a foundation for additional research. The next phase of this work will apply the typology across systems to support deeper empirical analysis, benchmarking, and its use by system leaders, policymakers, and researchers. Introduction Public higher education systems are America’s most powerful lever for advancing national attainment goals, driving innovation, and fostering civic engagement (Johnsen, 2024a, 2024b) . To date, National Association of Higher Education Systems (NASH) has identified more than 100 public systems that collectively comprise more than 1,450 institutions and serve more than 16.2 million students (Khan, 2026) . Public higher education systems share the common purpose of organizing multiple campuses to meet state needs for an educated population. Yet, beneath their shared purpose lies rich variation. Each system of public higher education has been uniquely shaped by state history and policies, economy, culture, institutional histories and composition, governance structures, technological integration, student demographics, access and degree of data 1 The authors are, respectively, Assistant Director, Center for Data & Analytics, and Senior Fellow, National Association of Higher Education Systems (NASH) . The authors wish to acknowledge Nancy Zimpher, Jessica Todtman, Daniel Knox and Carleen Vande Zande of NASH, as well as Shanshan Jiang-Brittan, John A. Douglas, and C. Judson King of CSHE, for their suggested improvements to the paper, which we gratefully included. standardization, and funding models. For example, some systems, such as the University of California (UC), are homogeneous in terms of the collective mission of the institutions it includes (researchfocused universities) and operate as a highly unified network of campuses with strong system-wide governance. Others, like the University of Arkansas System (UA), function with greater institutional autonomy while still adhering to overarching system policies established by a single governing board. This article aims to advance current understanding of the nation’s public higher education systems by highlighting a proposed typology of systems and identifying key dimensions of variation. A typology does not impose uniformity; rather, it enables comparative insight. By categorizing systems according to their structures and contexts, researchers and policymak

FAQs

Why is a typology of public higher education systems important?

System-level characteristics shape institutional behavior, policy implementation, performance, and student outcomes in ways that institutional-level analyses often overlook.

What dimensions does the proposed typology of public higher education systems consider?

It includes mission, governance authority, size and scale, institutional composition, funding models, and state social and economic context.

How does the paper define what a “system” is for public higher education?

It starts with three criteria: at least two institutions, meaningful institutional autonomy led by a chief executive, and governance by a single board with system-level executive leadership, while also noting NASH’s broader practical interpretation.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Jake