This study examines the relationship between cost efficiency and privatization at 163 public research institutions in the United States between 2005 and 2015. We employ a spatial autoregressive (SAR) random-effects model and stochastic frontier analysis (SFA) to estimate the relationship between costs and four privatization variables: auxiliary…

Recent reporting and research have claimed that some regional public universities are vulnerable, fragile, and endangered. However, much of what we know about the financial conditions of RPUs is limited to cases of financial crisis that capture national attention yet fail to fully represent the sector. The purpose of this chapter is to more deeply…

Governments and philanthropic organizations devote billions of dollars annually to higher education via appropriations and donations to support campus operations, research, financial aid, and capital projects. Likewise, students and their families invest time and money when pursuing a college degree. Due to these significant investments,…

This chapter presents four central themes that are distilled from the volume. First, regional public universities (RPUs) are mission-centered as access- and teaching-oriented and civically engaged institutions. Second, no matter how RPUs are sampled and classified, they are at the center of college access and equity. Third, RPUs deploy lean…

Despite occupying a central position in contemporary U.S. higher education discourse, empirical research on administrative costs is limited. The purpose of this study was to extend existing research on administrative spending in higher education by empirically examining whether recently shifting to research university status in the Carnegie…

The current study examines costs, measured by educational and general (E&G) spending, and cost efficiency at 252 public master's institutions in the United States over a nine-year (2004-2012) period. We use a multi-product quadratic cost function and results from a random-effects model with a first-order autoregressive (AR1) disturbance term…

A growing number of public colleges and universities in the United States have hired management consulting firms to help develop strategies aimed at increasing institutional effectiveness and efficiency. The purpose of this paper is to explore the frames and strategies of consultants in US public higher education reform efforts. Drawing upon a…

Despite the increasing popularity of public-private partnerships, empirical research about the origins, models, and long-term outcomes of this approach to financing, constructing, and managing college student housing is scant. In this study, we sought to investigate the origins, models, and outcomes of public-private partnerships in college…