Flagship State Colleges: The Big Picture

Writing in University Business, James Martin and James E. Samels, provide a 30,000-foot view of these flagship institutions:

Today a new breed of state colleges has emerged alongside these more traditional teachers colleges - a more nimble, market-driven generation of contemporary state colleges. These forward-looking, public four-year colleges and universities are uniquely positioned to partner with their public and private two-year college colleagues to provide a progressive, stair-stepped pathway to baccalaureate and graduate school completion. . . . Leaders at these entrepreneurial institutions have chosen a variety of paths for achieving state college 'best of breed' status - each with its own special academic twist. . . . Conceived and chartered as small normal schools over a century ago, these and other aspiring state colleges have achieved flagship status through academic program diversification, degree elevation, niche marketing, and by partnering with mission complementary institutions, businesses, government, and the nonprofit sector.