Famous Public Universities versus Private Universities

by Ayrea | February 11, 2008 | Newsletters 0 Comments

An interview with the President of ELI 360

February 11, 2008
This interview between the editor of “PeopleFuzion” and the president of ELI 360 was conducted to address several misconceptions regarding higher education in the U.S. stemming from the perceived difference in quality of education at private universities when compared with the famous public or state universities such as the University of Texas or UCLA.

Read what Erik Presley, president of ELI 360, has to say about higher education in the U.S. and become more informed about your decision regarding where to apply.

PeopleFuzion: Mr. President, why do you believe there is such a misconception about the quality of education when comparing public and private universities in the U.S.?

Erik: Most of the misconception comes from a lack of understanding. In most other countries, especially in Asia, higher education developed through the management or oversight of a governmental body like a “ministry of education.” Therefore, state or public universities are the oldest and most prestigious universities. These universities are known for their high academic quality and large student bodies. Most of the countries’ public universities are difficult to get into because of their prestige and limited space. At the same time in Asian countries private universities were created to offer some of the underprivileged an opportunity for higher education. Most of these schools were established by faith-based organizations and some were Bible schools and not universities. For reasons like these, many non-U.S. families believe that, based on their knowledge of higher education in their own country, the same would be true of higher education in the U.S. In other words, they believe that their son or daughter would do better if they went to a famous public university.

Here in the U.S. the opposite is true. The oldest universities were started as private universities. Most people around the world are well aware of these schools: Princeton, Harvard, Brown, Yale, Cornell, Dartmouth, etc. Public universities were created in the U.S. to provide the average high school graduate the opportunity for higher education. The public universities are large and do not provide undergraduate students many opportunities for small group learning, individualized instruction, leadership development whereas private universities focus on these superior teaching methods and objectives.

PeopleFuzion: In another context, you said that private universities do not have to cater to the tax payer. What did you mean?

Erik: State or public universities have a limited budget based on the tax revenue the state receives. In other words, the undergraduate student has to compete for a seat in large classrooms where they will not be known as a person but just as a number. The university programs are funded based on the tax payer’s willingness to pay taxes, not by the student who is attending the class. The university must operate within the limitations of the state’s budget and make decisions not based on the size of the student body but based on funding through tax revenues. In other words, the university cannot make classes smaller by hiring more professors because the local students for the most part do not pay for the real costs of their education. By contrast, at a private university even local students pay for the education. Therefore, if a private university grows in size then they can increase the number of professors and staff to handle the growth and keep the classes small.

PeopleFuzion: Do you believe the class size really impacts the quality of education?

Erik: Absolutely! Take a quick example of an international student at a public university. In fact, let me tell you of one of our students who transferred from a famous state university where he took an accounting class in which there were 150 students. He said that was the average class size during his freshman and sophomore year. When he had a question he was not able to ask the professor because there was no time during the professor’s lecture to answer questions. If a student had a question they would need to go to a tutoring or learning center after class. At private universities, classes on average have between 15 and 20 students. When a student has a question he/she can simply ask the professor who will typically invite other students to participate and offer an answer. This type of environment is much more conducive to developing a student’s critical thinking and learning. Rather than filling one’s head with information, real education opens the mind of the student.

PeopleFuzion: You once mentioned some university’s position statement. What was that statement again?

Erik: I’m assuming you are referring to the statement made by Mt. Allison, a private university in Canada that only offers bachelor degrees as a focus in its education strategy. At Mt. Allison, I believe they have a good understanding of the difference between education and information dissemination and thereby have strategically remained small like all of our partner universities. What they say in their marketing material is: “Founded in 1839, limiting itself to offering Bachelor’s degrees in Science, Arts, Commerce, Music and Fine Arts, with only 2100 students, and an average class size of 18, Mt. Allison has remained true to its objective of providing undistracted focus on undergraduate students in a personal and individualized way.” This captures the idea of the importance of class size. I might mention that this class size issue is also a focus of the famous private universities mentioned earlier.

PeopleFuzion: Mr. Presley, is class size the only factor contributing to the quality of education?

Erik: No, of course not. While class size is important there are other factors to consider. As a company we ourselves have had to seriously consider what makes a university’s education excellent. Our “Characteristics of Excellence” guideline was established internally to help us choose which universities we represent. I believe this guideline is a good model for parents to consider when looking for a top quality education for their sons and daughters.

PeopleFuzion: What is the “Characteristics of Excellence”?

Erik: The universities we represent must have the characteristics listed below in order for us to ensure to any family that works with us that if their son or daughter studies at one of our partner universities they will receive an excellent education and graduate well prepared for post graduate study or for the professional world. Here are the “Characteristics of Excellence” we look for in a private university:

1. Our partner universities are ACCREDITED institutions.
2. The campus is in a residential area with 24 hour campus security providing a safe environment so students can concentrate on their studies. All university buildings are on a single site or property, typically over 48.5 hectares.
3. The campus is modern with technology upgrade programs to keep current with technology advances.
4. The student to faculty ratio remains between 11:1 to 20:1.
5. The student body size has more than 2000 students and less than 10,001.
6. The percentage of faculty with “Highest Possible Degree in Field” is more than 75%.
7. The percentage of students admitted into graduate and professional schools after graduation is more than 80%.
8. Alumni who evaluated their own university regarding the percentage of classes that were taught by a professor as opposed to a graduate assistant was more than 80% of their classes.
9. Alumni who evaluated their own university regarding the faculty’s interest in them as individuals was more than 80% of professors.
10. The universities’ education philosophy is focused on academics as well as character building. Students have excellent opportunities to build their resume.

ELI 360 universities offer greater opportunities for practical professional and leadership development at the UNDERGRADUATE level, not just graduate level as at public universities.

PeopleFuzion: That is a great list of characteristics a university should embody in order to provide a top quality education. If I understand what you are saying, all ELI 360 universities have those qualities. That should make it very easy for a family to trust in your service and know their son or daughter will have a great education. Is there anything else you would like to tell us about this subject?

Erik: There is one more thing I might add to this topic especially as it pertains to international students. Whether it is parents or students, over and over we hear how important it is for the student to experience a sense of community and investment from the professor in their education career. At the universities we partner with, ELI 360 alumni have said they receive not only excellent education but a great deal of mentoring and investment from the community they were a part of. In other words, many say their professors served as mentors and took interest in them as people. This factor alone makes ELI 360 universities probably some of the best universities in the U.S., if not in the world.

see ELI 360 Partner Universities www.eli360.com/students_fast_fact.php