Public flagship university: what does it look like? (PhDs, cost, schools)

[edsg25]

We have had a number of discussions on this board about what is the flagship university in a given state and can that state actually have more than one. I don't want to rehash that here. Instead, I want to know this...

what exactly does a flagship public university look like, what qualities does it have that makes it the flagship that differentiates it from other public universities in its state?

Since some states (Florida and Texas come to mind) actually identify more than one flagship, I'm operating on the notion that there can be more than one public flagship in a state.

I'm interested in identifying state flagships; not system flagships. In other words, I'm not taking about what is the flagship of the UC system, UW system, UT system, CSU system.

So if Texas recognizes both UT and A&M as its flagships and Florida does the same for UF and FSU and some states (IL, WI, MN, NE, AR, TN, among others) clearly have only one then....

what are the qualities that these flagships have that give them that status? What does a flagship public university look like?

[ClemVegas]

Generally one of the largest universities in the state in enrollment,
Often a member of one of the P5 sports conferences especially in more populated states not located in cold weather areas.
Large sports facilities.
Typically has a greater variety of majors to include engineering, agriculture, architecture, etc, and often professional programs like med, law, pharmacy, vet schools.
Often has its own golf course.
Usually the oldest or one of the oldest public universites in its state or the land grant university in the state.
Typically has a college town restaurant/bar/retail area adjacent to campus or nearby.

[rrah]

Size of the student population, number of majors and programs, values research by professors, on campus housing, sports programs.

[Ruth4Truth]

It's usually the largest university in the state, has the most diverse course offerings, is more selective than the other schools, and has the strongest academic reputation.

[Katarina Witt]

It is usually the largest public university in the state. It offers PhDs in a lot of subjects, and has a lot of research going on. As others have said, more selective, strongest academic reputation.

[Clevelander17]

Agree with all previous comments, but I'll also add that a state's flagship public university will usually be the highest-ranked on the various college rankings lists (subjective though they may be).

[Tinawina]

It's the one that gets the allotted most resources, and is usually the R1 for the state system (meaning it values research and aims for academic prestige). It's supposed to be the state option most competitive with elite privates but for a fraction of the cost. Part of their implied mission is to keep talent in-state, and attract prestige/top talent to the state. That's the gist of it.

[eddie gein]

Originally Posted by edsg25

We have had a number of discussions on this board about what is the flagship university in a given state and can that state actually have more than one. I don't want to rehash that here. Instead, I want to know this...

what exactly does a flagship public university look like, what qualities does it have that makes it the flagship that differentiates it from other public universities in its state?

Since some states (Florida and Texas come to mind) actually identify more than one flagship, I'm operating on the notion that there can be more than one public flagship in a state.

I'm interested in identifying state flagships; not system flagships. In other words, I'm not taking about what is the flagship of the UC system, UW system, UT system, CSU system.

So if Texas recognizes both UT and A&M as its flagships and Florida does the same for UF and FSU and some states (IL, WI, MN, NE, AR, TN, among others) clearly have only one then....

what are the qualities that these flagships have that give them that status? What does a flagship public university look like?

The problem here is that you have two competing systems for university status. The "flagship" and the "land grant" institution.

As a rule of thumb your "University of (insert name of state)" is the "flagship" University in that state and the (insert name of state) State University is the "land grant" institution. However, in some states a University can be both. For instance the University of Florida is both.

Flagship Universities tended to be formed for the elites and centered around arts and science, letters, medicine and law, while Land Grant schools were generally started as Agricultural and Mechanical "colleges".

Over the years these two types of schools competed with each other and in many cases the Land Grant school has ended up being the more prestigious institution despite not being the "flagship", however in most cases the "flagship" usually is still considered the premiere school in the state.

There are some interesting spinoffs of this concept. For instance, until after WWII Florida State was strictly a girls school and Florida was a boys school. Land Grants like Clemson and Texas A&M were primarily military schools until the 50s and 60s respectively and had all male enrollment.

The University of Arizona was both landgrant and flagship while Arizona State was a teachers college until the 1950s.

In reality though, the "flagship" and the "land grant" schools are essentially equal in status when compared to the other universities in a typical state.

[Nn2036]

Usually the first public university found in the state

[ClemVegas]

I think in general they have better landscaping than other public colleges and often more prestigious looking architecture, Greek columns and similar.