With New Public Management (NPM) influencing governance of universities a major focus is put on private value in the coupling of higher education and employability. In the mindset of NPM the students are seen and treated as customers or consumers. As a Swedish case, 15 first-year business economy students were asked about their expectations on the usefulness of their education. The empirical material showed a significant gender difference. The preliminary research question drawn from the empirical material is: How do we construct the business administration student through university governance? The paper discusses the findings in the light of the alternate mind-set of Public Value (PV) and suggests more attention to be put in goals and incentives of higher education on public value and democratic core principles such as gender equality. This is a first draft on this empirical material in the beginning of the second year of a four year doctoral candidature.