> Virtually nobody can afford to found a real university anymore -- small
> law schools, seminaries ...., but not real universities. The scale has
> grown faster than wealth for all but a handful of people. Now the rich
> build a structure or endow a chair. How many new schools are named after
> funders now.
True, and raises interesting possibilities for actual research: who are the individuals/foundations that endow chairs, departments, and buildings; what strings are attached; given the other activities of individuals/ organizations who make large contributions, what sort of ideological presuppositions can we assume come with the donation, even if the donor and recipient protest that no _quid pro quo_ is involved.
I have a friend who does prospect research consulting for endowment funds. I could ask her these questions; she only talks about her work to the extent that the very, very wealthy who get hit for donations aren't in the public eye, and that they're deeply creepy.
Curtiss