Stanford already has enough money to do this without Knight's donation. He's not enabling anything, worthy though the cause might be. This donation, like all donations to rich universities, is about the giver's ego. It doesn't do any good in practical terms. -harvard alum who doesn't donate
elite vs non elite wrote:
I think you're missing the point. The intent is to create programs to draw students from all over the world, to a central place. Yes, technically that's giving the money to Stanford, but it's not an unrestricted gift. If it were a matter of saying "Hey, Stanford, here's $400 million for you," I'd agree with your complaint. But it's not.
Also, although I'll probably get flamed for saying this -- I have a BA from Stanford and a PhD from Harvard, and I spent 35 years teaching at a 4 year state school, and if you think that it's only endowment that separates the elites from the sub-elites and the ordinary, you're wrong. There is a difference. A few hundred million dollars could not possibly transform my old school into a first-rate, or even third-rate institution.
The kind of thing Knight wants to do can pick up the amazing students from the not-amazing institutions and put them where their talents can shine.