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Private vs. Public
Original Presenation Created By: Linda Varvel
Nikki HodousStudent Conduct OfficerUniversity of Iowa
Brendan DolanDirector of Residence LifeSaint Mary’s University ofMinnesota
Nikki’s Background
Undergraduate Experience: University of Wisconsin-River Falls (Public, 6,900 Students,
Division 3)
Graduate School: Attended: Bowling Green State University(Public, 17,000 students,
Division 1, Mid-American Conference)
Assistantship: Baldwin-Wallace College (Private, Methodist, 2,900 students)
Summer Internship: Macalester College (Private, 2,000 students)
Professional Experience: Saint Mary’s University of MN (Private, Catholic, 1,400 students)
University of Iowa (Public, 30,000 students, Division 1, Big Ten Conference)
Brendan’s Background
Undergraduate Experience: John Carroll University (Private, Catholic, 3,700 Students, Division
3)
Graduate School: Saint Mary’s University of MN (Private, Catholic, 1,400 students)
Professional Experience: Saint Mary’s University of MN (Private, Catholic, 1,400 students)
Pros/Cons of Public v. Private
Pair up with 1-2 other people. Take a couple of minutes and in your group discuss some pros and cons of both public and private institutions (attending graduate school or working professionally). Be ready to share with the rest of the room what you’ve come up with.
Private School - Size
Private institutions are typically pretty small in size. The majority of these institutions will be 5,000 students or less.
Cons of small size: Working/Living in a fishbowl
Wear many hats
Budget restraints
Diversity of Student Population (also SES)
Partner/Personal Job Opportunities
Pro of Small Size: Know students, faculty, and staff very well
Wear many hats
Things can sometimes happen quickly
Public School – Size
A public institution will be over 5,000 and oftentimes over 20,000 people if you’re working at a public state school.
Cons of large size: Red tape!
Harder to know students, faculty, and staff individually
Sometimes position experiences are limited
Pros of large size: Budgets (Programming, Pro Devo, etc.)
School pride
More diverse student population
Partner/Personal Job Opportunities
Student Population
Private Admissions process is often more selective
SES can be limited
Presence of religion can be more evident on some campuses (and sometimes a factor in who they hire as staff)
Public More open admission policies
Varied SES
More diversity among student population
Funding/Spending
Private Easy to spend money (if you have it!)
Less accountability
Cash handed out freely (Cash Advance)
Buy anything for student events
Public Stricter spending rules
The infamous P-Card
Rules about what is and is not okay for student events
Expectations/Campus Relationships
Private Everyone does a little bit of everything
More ambiguous
Lines of communication can be fuzzy (you may pick up the phone and call the president)
Very collaborative
Public Strict job description with a specific function for position
Clear picture of your job
Hierarchy is clear and communication is understood
Often most of your work is done within your department
Job Comparison
Public: Hall Coordinator Live-On Campus
Supervise 12 RA Staff Members, 10 Desk Clerks, 1 Hall Secretary
Judicial Officer for building
Oversee building programming
Budget oversight: $20,000
Duty rotation was 3-4 weeks per semester
Attend RA Staff Training
Private – Director of Residence Life Live-On Campus
Supervise 1 Assistant Director, 5 Graduate Hall Directors, and 34 RA Staff Members
Plan selection process and oversee hiring of all staff
Judicial Officer for all on-campus students, especially higher level cases/appeals
Created building programming model as well as campus programming
Create, edit, and distribute housing contracts
Make room assignments and coordinate all aspects of room moves
Coordinator all aspects of move-in
Complete all budget requests for residence life
Budget oversight: $10,000
Duty rotation was every week and every fourth weekend
Plan, present, and coordinate all aspects of RA Staff Training
Contribute to planning and design of new residence hall/hall updates
Parent Phone calls
Cool things about going “Public”
Your focus can be on the students
Administrative work is straight forward and clear cut
Campus committee opportunities (Alternative Spring Break, OnIowa, etc.)
Money and resources are always there
Professional Development funding
Cool things about going “Private”
Opportunities to do many things other haven’t done before (building new residence hall, design and implement programming model, create roommate pairing/manage housing, manage an office budget and write budget proposals, work directly with the President)
Knowing each and every student who lives in your building
Make changes quickly and easily
Learn a lot of skills in a limited amount of time
Things to consider when choosing… How long do you plan to stay in this position?
What experiences have you already had? Did you attend a private/public? Have you worked at a private/public before? Have you been at a public for your entire career?
Are you comfortable with the institution’s mission and the role of religion?
What opportunities are there for growth at the college/university?
Who works above you and how often do you interact?
What experiences are important to you (supervision of an RA staff/grad/full time, live-on, campus opportunities)
Graduate School: Does the program offer the courses/structure you are looking for in a grad program?
Live-On Rules/Regulations
Questions?
What are you still wondering about???
Contact: Nikki Hodous
Contact: Brendan Dolan
