Quote:
Originally Posted by PHX31
I don't know anything about how universities work, but I've always thought that all of these satellite campuses of ASU were going to eventually become like those in California (granted, I have no idea how the California schools work either)... but you've got UCLA, UC Irvine, UCSD etc etc. and Cal St Fullerton, Cal St Northridge, etc. etc... they are all seemingly their own school but also sound like just different satellite campuses (they also have their own separate sports teams.)
|
California's statewide higher-education system is very different from Arizona's. California has two tiers, the University of California tier, which is generally considered higher, and then the California State tier, which is considered lower. Schools like UC Berkely, UCLA, UC Davis, UC Irvine, UCSD, etc. are in the first tier, while CS Fullerton, CS Northridge, etc. are in the latter. They are each an independent school, but are "governed" by the same body at the tier level.
Arizona, due to size and population, has no need for a two-tiered system, although we kind of do by default, with the three major universities (ASU, UA, and NAU) and then the junior colleges (Eastern Arizona, Arizona Western).
However, community college issue is completely different, because they are run at the county level. All of the CC's in Maricopa County are under the Maricopa County Community College District (MCCCD) and are not part of the state-sponsored university level, although I believe the funding and the determination about whether they can offer four-year degrees still rests with the legislature.