Institution:
The action of instituting or establishing; setting on the foot or in operation; foundation; ordainment; the fact of being instituted.
http://spectator.org/archives/2010/06/15/against-gay-marriage
In this article, the author with conservative values discusses the reasons he thinks marriage should be reserved only for heterosexual couples. He believes that allowing homosexuals the right to marry would ruin the "institution of marriage." The author goes into the history of heterosexual marriage and how it is a unifying force between men and women who may otherwise oppose each other. The author uses the word institution to cover a huge amount of people. It is not tangible and technicaly it is possible for anyone join. He argues that it is divine insitution as well, as it is a union made before God.
http://economix.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/12/17/educational-institutions-succeeding-despite-because-of-weak-economy/
In this article the author analyzes the success of colleges and universities as a business during the recession. She brings up the argument that schools are succeeding because of the bad economy. The author refers to colleges as higher education institutions.
I have to agree with the definition of the institution put forth in the second article. Colleges and universities are more tangible ideas. They have a location and serve a more explicit purpose. Marriage is more of a tradition than an institution. It is a social norm for many societies mainly because of what society or religion says is correct and functional. Since I consider marriage to be an invetion derived from societal values, I consider it to be available to anyone. Since I do not think there should be any exclusion I do not think it should be considered an institution. We would never say that being a human being is an institution. Colleges and universities are much more exclusive and serve direct purposes; to learn more and acquire specific skills. This fits the definition of institution much better.
I very much agree with your opinion that the second article depicts the meaning of an institution much better. I also view the term 'institution' as something tangible, and as the found definition states an establishment or foundation of some sort. The first article defining it as something much larger as a 'marriage institution' or 'human institution' just does not fit well. those things are ideas or concepts by law or otherwise and nothing that is set. this quote taken from the first article sets a decent example of how the term isn't justified in meaning, "Heterosexual marriage is, after all, one of the most universal and enduring human institutions"...I do not find heterosexual marriage anything of an institution, but more of a structured relationship. When I think institution, I think more along the lines of, as you mentioned, a business/company or a school/university; Not a set way of life that as in the example, is marriage. Those are more life choices and options in society.
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