Public Universities in the United States - 美国的公立大学

Public, or state, universities typically enroll tens of thousands of students and offer degrees in hundreds of subject areas. Robert H. Bruininks outlines the makeup and financing structure of large state universities and the opportunities for international students and scholars. He has been president of the University of Minnesota since 2002 and is a member of the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board.

公立或州立大学通常有数万名学生，在数百个学科领域提供学位。作者Robert H. Bruininks概述了大型州立大学的构成、融资结构、国际学生和学者的机遇。他自2002年起担任明尼苏达大学校长，是J.William Fulbright外国奖学金委员会的成员。

Large public universities in the United States, also referred to as state universities, are closely identified with and supported by the states in which they are located. They are exciting, dynamic, and highly regarded centers for higher education, with unique traditions and connections to their communities. They are also major magnets for talent from all over the country and the world.

美国的大型公立大学，又称州立大学，与所在的州有着密切的联系，并得到州政府的支持。它们是令人振奋、充满活力、备受推崇的高等教育中心，具有独特的传统和与社区的联系。它们也是吸引全国乃至全世界人才的主要磁石。

Typically, universities of this type enroll tens of thousands of students. They produce the majority of graduate and professional degrees in the country, as well as a significant number of undergraduate degrees. Also common to large public universities are a wide range of academic programs. To use my own institution as an example, the University of Minnesota Twin Cities campus has 50,000 students, offers hundreds of degrees, and is a leader in fields as varied as neurology and transplant surgery, economics and political science, material sciences and nanotechnology, and agriculture and natural resources.

Public universities play a critical role in regional economic, cultural, and civic development, and many, such as the University of Minnesota, are deeply involved in advancing knowledge and technology through research. These universities are among the major research universities in the United States and frequently have major involvement in international programs around the world. A series of federal actions in the second half of the 19^th century provided resources to states to help establish and build universities. Public universities that arose from this federal largesse have a mandate to provide outreach and community engagement to the state in which they are located (e.g., technology transfer, support to agriculture, interaction with primary and secondary schools, and interaction with state and local policy makers).

公立大学在区域经济、文化、公民发展中发挥着关键作用。许多大学，如明尼苏达大学，都深入参与了通过研究推动知识和技术的发展。这些大学是美国主要的研究型大学之一，并经常在世界各地参与主要国际项目。19世纪下半叶的一系列联邦行动为各州提供了资源，以帮助建立和建设大学。从这一联邦大手笔中产生的公立大学有一项任务，即向其所在的州提供外联和社区参与（如技术转让、支持农业、与中小学互动、与州和地方决策者互动）。

The level of research intensity varies greatly among state universities. Competitive research grants and contracts awarded to the most prestigious public universities typically amount to hundreds of millions of dollars each year. There is also great variation in the level of support from the states. State universities with large research budgets typically receive 10 to 30 percent of their budgets from the state in which they are located. The remaining portion of their budget comes from tuition and fees, grants/contracts, and gifts.

各州立大学的研究能力差别很大。授予最著名的公立大学的竞争性研究补助金和合同通常每年达数亿美元。各州的支持水平也有很大差异。拥有大量研究预算的州立大学通常从其所在的州获得10%到30%的预算。其预算的其余部分来自于学费、赠款/合同和礼物。

As a result of the financing structure of large state universities, many graduate students receive financial aid through research assistantships associated with research grants and contracts received by the university. Although many public universities are seeking increased funding to support international exchanges and study, access to financial aid for international students is very limited outside of the aforementioned research/grant funding. Since undergraduates do not generally hold research assistantships, scholarship support for international students seeking undergraduate degrees is quite limited at these public universities.

由于大型国立大学的融资结构，许多研究生通过与大学获得的研究补助金和合同相关的研究助理获得经济援助。虽然很多公立大学都在寻求增加资金支持国际交流和学习，但除了上述的研究/补助金之外，留学生获得经济援助的机会非常有限。由于本科生一般不持有研究补助金，因此在这些公立大学，对申请本科学位的国际学生的奖学金支持相当有限。

Large state universities are located in a variety of communities, from modest towns to large metropolitan areas. Many universities also have multiple campuses at locations throughout their state, and many states also have more than one public university system.

大型州立大学分布在不同的社区，从小城镇到大都市地区。许多大学还在本州各地设有多个校区，许多州还设有一个以上的公立大学系统。

Public universities are governed by boards of trustees or regents, with varying reporting responsibility to the state government. Unlike in many other countries, these U.S. universities don’t report to a federal-level education minister, and higher education policy is largely delegated to the states, with the important exceptions of federal student financial aid and research funding through federal agencies such as the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, and many other federal agencies.

公立大学由董事会或监事会管理，对州政府负有不同的报告责任。与许多其他国家不同，这些美国大学不向联邦一级的教育部长报告，高等教育政策主要由各州负责，但联邦学生财政援助和通过国家科学基金会、国家卫生研究院等联邦机构提供的研究经费是重要的例外。

Some traditions of public universities in the United States are quite different from those in other countries. Even at these state-supported institutions, students have traditionally paid for part of their education through tuition and fees, and these costs to students are increasing. Today the average student takes out loans in order to help pay for his or her education. Private fundraising plays an increasingly important role in funding projects, scholarships, and positions at public universities. Finally, intercollegiate athletics attract intense interest from students, alumni, and members of the general public, and athletic events generate additional revenue.

美国公立大学的一些传统与其他国家的大学有很大不同。即使是在这些国家支持的机构，学生传统上也是通过学杂费来支付部分教育费用，而学生的这些费用正在增加。如今，一般学生都会贷款，以帮助支付教育费用。私人筹款在资助公立大学的项目、奖学金和职位方面发挥着越来越重要的作用。最后，校际田径运动吸引了学生、校友和公众的浓厚兴趣，田径活动也带来了额外的收入。

Among all U.S. universities, large state universities often include the largest percentage of international students and scholars. At the University of Minnesota, our community includes more than 4,500 international students and scholars from about 130 countries. The University of Minnesota provides support services such as counseling and advising on personal and academic issues, orientation to U.S. and university culture, immigration and visa advising, and English as a second language course, as well as programs and workshops on a variety of topics including intercultural understanding and communication. Many state universities have similar programs in place to help students navigate what can sometimes be a confusing system of administration and academic regulation, although the scope of these services varies from institution to institution.

在所有的美国大学中，大型州立大学通常包括最大比例的国际学生和学者。在明尼苏达大学，我们的社区包括来自约130个国家的4500多名国际学生和学者。明尼苏达大学提供的支持服务包括个人和学术问题的咨询和建议，美国和大学文化的介绍，移民和签证建议，英语作为第二语言课程，以及各种主题的计划和研讨会，包括跨文化理解和沟通。许多州立大学都有类似的计划，以帮助学生了解有时可能是一个混乱的管理和学术监管系统，尽管这些服务的范围因机构而异。

With growing competition from other countries, no major university in the United States can afford to take the interest of foreign students for granted. As a result, public universities are increasingly focused on attracting top students from around the world. If you are a motivated and self-directed student looking for exposure to the cutting edge of knowledge and creative work, I encourage you to investigate the rich opportunities available among large public universities in the United States.

随着其他国家的竞争日益激烈，美国的任何一所主要大学都不能把外国学生的兴趣视为理所当然。因此，公立大学越来越注重吸引世界各地的顶尖学生。如果你是一个积极进取、自主学习的学生，希望接触到最前沿的知识和创造性的工作，我鼓励你去考察美国大型公立大学中的丰富机会。