ABSTRACT
Globalization is a highly complex process that has impacted multiple national and international arenas. It is a difficult term to come to grips with and it is even more so in a country as large and diverse as the United States. A diversified economy and vastly differing cultural and population centers make generalizations difficult if the discussion is focused on abstractions. This chapter discusses California’s post-secondary system to demonstrate how globalization has impacted students, post-secondary structures, and the state’s role in higher education. It considers the state and higher education and focuses on five key areas: (1) ‘public’ higher education, (2) inequalities and access, (3) privatization, (4) regulations, and (5) knowledge-based economies and research. California serves as a case study for these ideas.
