Public Ivy is a term coined by Richard Moll in his 1985 book
Public Ivies: A Guide to America's Best Public Undergraduate Colleges and Universities to refer to universities that are claimed to provide an
Ivy League collegiate experience at a public school price. Public Ivies are considered, according to
The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education, to be capable of "successfully competing with the Ivy League schools in academic rigor... attracting superstar faculty and in competing for the best and brightest students of all races."