What Do We Make of the VCU-Qatar Connection?
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54 responses to “What Do We Make of the VCU-Qatar Connection?”
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All the uproar about LIV golf….. nothing about this ‘purchasing’ of an American linchpin.
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You could always increase State funding instead. You have the power.
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From the 2010 – 2011 academic year through the 2019-2020 academic year the inflation adjusted average annual tuition at public 4-year postsecondary institutions increased by 12%.
How much of that is due to decreases in state funding? I don’t know.
But that’s the key question – why are tuitions consistently increasing faster than the rate of inflation?
Maybe undergraduate college students should go to school year-round and finish in 3 years.
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Maybe because the state cut ‘em loose and like all semiprivate enterprises, they rip people off.
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1. The state didn’t cut them loose over that timeframe. At least not completely.
2. Public postsecondary institutions are not semi private enterprises. They are 100% owned by the state. If they are run as semi private enterprises, that’s the state’s decision and can be changed.
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1. The state didn’t cut them loose over that timeframe. At least not completely.
2. Public postsecondary institutions are not semi private enterprises. They are 100% owned by the state. If they are run as semi private enterprises, that’s the state’s decision and can be changed.
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The thing is, there are LOTS of choices of Higher Ed, both public, private, and for-profit.
Some are in-demand more than others.
People make choices and supply and demand is in play.
Trying to set prices for some (and not all) higher ed that is in demand (more than others) is not much different than the govt setting prices for popular cars or in-demand Condos.
Most folks rail about the govt setting prices for rent.
Is doing it for higher ed much different?
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The government owns public 4-year postsecondary institutions.
Public.
Just like the government owns the DMV or VDOT.
If the charter for public 4-year postsecondary institutions is to provide in-state residents an affordable college education – the charter is not being fulfilled.
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Trying to set prices for some (and not all) higher ed that is in demand (more than others) is not much different than the govt setting prices for popular cars or in-demand Condos.
It’s very different. The government does not own the means of production for automobiles and residential dwellings.
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and doesn’t really for higher ed either. What is offered or not in terms of programs, degrees, course, etc, is not determined by the state nor directly funded by the state.
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and doesn’t really for higher ed either. What is offered or not in terms of programs, degrees, course, etc, is not determined by the state nor directly funded by the state.
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Nothing is funded by the state, Larry. Everything is funded by the taxpayers.
The fact that the DMV probably collects more in fees than it costs to operate does not make the DMV anything but a state agency.
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Either way, neither of them are deciding who to hire or fire or what programs to offer or not or what to charge.
The State has little true role.
If they actually did, they COULD offer a 10K program!
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and they don’t for higher ed either. They pay minimally and have almost no role in deciding what is offered. When we say “means of production”, I take it that it means much more than what Va does
with higher ed. You might as well have the state actually run the colleges to decide what to cut, what to not cut and what to charge. No way! And setting arbitrary numbers on vague concepts like “affordability” seems even more problematic. It’s like they decide what college SHOULD cost and
I don’t think govt does that kind of role very good and usually badly when they try. At the end of the day, it’s a “market” with at-will buyers that can and do choose from what the market offers little different than other markets even ones the govt has some involvement in with some exceptions like
farm subsidies which are not keyed to “affordability” but a more stable market rather that extreme changes due to weather and other factors.
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The government owns public 4-year postsecondary institutions.
Public.
Just like the government owns the DMV or VDOT.
If the charter for public 4-year postsecondary institutions is to provide in-state residents an affordable college education – the charter is not being fulfilled.
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Even if they do, and I doubt that they really do, what justified them keeping a price cap?
re: ” If the charter for public 4-year postsecondary institutions is to provide in-state residents an affordable college education – the charter is not being fulfilled.”
Then, if true, the State needs to fund it, no?
The State doesn’t try to cap the sales tax on new cars or how much VDOT can pay for a road, ob sensibly to keep them “affordable”.
Seems like if the State wants an “affordable” option, they might specify that number and fund it, but would it be a bare-bones degree where people have to pay more for the “extras” like room and board, and activity fees, etc?
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Even if they do, and I doubt that they really do…
If Virginia does not own the public institutes of higher learning located in Virginia then who does own them?
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Even if they do, and I doubt that they really do…
If Virginia does not own the public institutes of higher learning located in Virginia then who does own them?
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The folks that run them and determine what programs to offer and for how much.
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And those people are (fill in the blank) _________ employees.
1) Federal
2) State
3) Private -
And those people are (fill in the blank) _________ employees.
1) Federal
2) State
3) Private -
And those people are (fill in the blank) _________ employees.
1) Federal
2) State
3) Private -
Who determines the pay scales? Who sets the position descriptions, or who to hire or fire?
Who pays them? Who provides their health insurance? -
Who determines the pay scales? Who sets the position descriptions, or who to hire or fire?
Who pays them? Who provides their health insurance? -
The Commonwealth of Virginia owns the University of Virginia. Get used to it.
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The Commonwealth of Virginia owns the University of Virginia. Get used to it.
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In name only, not in any other way that a true employer would function at an entity.
It’s more concept than actual.
And the fact that they have almost no control over the specifics proves it.
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Of course The Commonwealth of Virginia owns The University of Virginia.
The executives (and coaches) of Virginia’s universities are state employees, as evidenced by this list:
https://www.pilotonline.com/2023/10/04/explore-the-data-virginia-state-employee-salaries/
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Oh they are but who hires and fires them and who decides their salary and their job duties?
How come the coaches and related are state employees?
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Do the people who run and manage the Department of Environmental Quality own the DEQ?
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“Then, if true, the State needs to fund it, no?”
That’s one approach. More wealth transfer.
The other approach is to do what Indiana did at Purdue University and install a president with serious business skills to keep tuition flat.
Accusat1ion by innuendo and hypotheticals. We could engage in this all day.
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No we can’t! I have no evidence, but BR readers haven’t the attention span.
“I have no evidence at all to suggest the Qataris have ever abused their influence. I’m engaging purely in hypotheticals.”
Indeed and not an objective view right from the get go.
The relationship with Qatar is complicated, for sure. We do have an important military base there and from what I understand, we’ve had to hold our nose to keep that base which is apparently
key to some significant US activities in the Middle East , ostensibly for “good” and includes Israel security.
Across the US on many campuses, besides VCU and off US campuses, and across the world , there are people who view the Palestinian people as being oppressed. One can call them all “leftists” but it really is juvenile and simplistic thinking.
The situation in Israel and Gaza is also complicated with
people around the world on opposite sides.
Name-calling and hypotheticals just deepens the divide and
leads to continuing violence, conflict, and war.
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Name calling? Among those who view the Palestinian people as oppressed, how many are far left, how many are left-of-center, and how many are on the right?
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You’re of one view and you’re name-calling others of a differing view. Right?
And you want to count how many on one side?
How about you tally up the number who think the Palestinians are oppressed compared to the ones that don’t?
And what does name-calling achieve one way or the other in the first place?
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Are they not? Or, do you not view forced displacement as being oppression?
I would cite destroying over 60% of housing as an example of forced displacement, but then, you live in Richmond.
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“I have no evidence at all…”
Par for the course…
Well, we’re not funding them.
How to begin a Supreme Court petition…
1 INTRODUCTION This application is “déjà vu all over again.” Yogi Berra Museum & Learning Center, “Yogi-isms,” https://yogiberramuseum.org/about-yogi/yogisms/.
Especially when referring to the appellate court ruling.
The usual suspects are chastising me for asking questions. I’m very clearly NOT making accusations. But I’d like to ask them this: Are they saying that VCU is not vulnerable to pressure from the Qatari government? If so, how would they know that? Given the way international conflicts spill into academe these days, is that a question that should not even be asked?
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No. You were not just asking questions. You actually admitted to what you were doing, hypotheticals, speculation, name-calling.
what-about-ism.
re: ” Given the way international conflicts spill into academe these days, is that a question that should not even be asked?”
how about the rest of the world, not just “academe”?
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Of course they’re not vulnerable to pressure. List your successful pressure campaigns at Youvee, eh?
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Saudis fund scholarships and pay student fees. Qatar is paying US institutions $1.3 billion to gain dubious influence, and the Qatar Foundation has itself funded lobbyists and filed lawsuits to hide massive donations to a number of schools.
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“The usual suspects are chastising me for asking questions”
What are they suspected of? Do you have speculative questions with which you would like to imply wrong-doing on their part as well?
What Do We Make of the VCU-Qatar Connection?
Ummm…. Nothing?
What is the money used for? Does it all go to support the Qatar operation, or is there excess that is used domestically? That question cuts the other way too. Is Virginia tax money supporting an institution in Qatar?
Did Qatari money finance VCU’s old public safety building boondoggle?
What do VCU’s financial reports and audits tell us? Follow the money indeed.
How to begin a Supreme Court petition…
1 INTRODUCTION This application is “déjà vu all over again.” Yogi Berra Museum & Learning Center, “Yogi-isms,” https://yogiberramuseum.org/about-yogi/yogisms/.
Especially when referring to the appellate court ruling.
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Speaking of riling up the Supreme Hacks…
https://www.courts.state.hi.us/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/SCAP-22-0000561.pdf-
Thanks. I’ve removed Hawaii from my list of places I’d like to visit.
When I started reading the document at the link you provided I first thought maybe it was a fanciful essay written by a high school student for a remedial English class. But, sadly, it was actually produced by the members of the supreme court of Hawaii.
It is poorly argued, very poorly written, and it uses pop-culture references to justify it’s ridiculous conclusions. They also don’t seem to realize that repeating inaccurate claims rejected by the U.S. supreme court does render those claims valid.
They accuse SCOTUS of “cherry-picking” arguments when deciding Heller and Bruen, but they then proceed to ‘cherry-pick’ their own arguments to the extent that the coming year’s crop may be in jeopardy.
The gist of their argument seems to be that since King Kamehameha banned his subjects from having weapons, the state of Hawaii is justified in banning its ‘subjects’ from having weapons, even though they ostensibly rejected totalitarian forms of government to become part of the United States.
They also cite [intentionally] inaccurate ‘data’ provided by a far-left anti-gun organization.
What a joke.
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Thanks. I’ve removed Hawaii from my list of places I’d like to visit.
When I started reading the document at the link you provided I first thought maybe it was a fanciful essay written by a high school student for a remedial English class. But, sadly, it was actually produced by the members of the supreme court of Hawaii.
It is poorly argued, very poorly written, and it uses pop-culture references to justify it’s ridiculous conclusions. They also don’t seem to realize that repeating inaccurate claims rejected by the U.S. supreme court does render those claims valid.
They accuse SCOTUS of “cherry-picking” arguments when deciding Heller and Bruen, but they then proceed to ‘cherry-pick’ their own arguments to the extent that the coming year’s crop may be in jeopardy.
The gist of their argument seems to be that since King Kamehameha banned his subjects from having weapons, the state of Hawaii is justified in banning its ‘subjects’ from having weapons, even though they ostensibly rejected totalitarian forms of government to become part of the United States.
They also cite [intentionally] inaccurate ‘data’ provided by a far-left anti-gun organization.
What a joke.
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Wow. Amazing how the former End Citizens United people switch sides….
Why is it wrong to wonder if the money has some influence. Presumably Qatar spends its money for a reason. What is the reason?
You Lefties love to misquote one of the 2 verse of the Bible you know enough of to mangle.
“Judge not” man and “money is the root of evil”
Just so we can use an accurate measuring stick – Judge not lest you be judged. For the measure you give will be the measure you get (that’s the don’t be a hypocrite part and practice grace and forgiveness if you expect it back)
For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil
(And that is where you Lefties are – spending govt money to effect evil. Funding evil. Performing evil through NGOs, even “religious” ones. Weaponized “justice” – I won’t give you the Biblical quotes there, you might want to read them yourself)
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A leftist shuns a Bible as darkness shuns the light.
Why focus on VCU-Qatar? How about George Mason U and its Korean-, and Saudi-, and Chinese-, and you-name-it Student Associations and its study abroad programs in (name the country).
And don’t stop with GMU — what about damn near every college and university in the country? (Except, of course, for the low-IQ biblethumper schools — Liberty, Patrick Henry, Hillsdale, . . . ).
We live in an international world. It’s best to have educated people who understand the rest of the world. Some of the dumbest people I’ve ever met are my rightwing mouthbreathing neighbors who just returned from a cruise in the Caribbean and are now experts on Latin America.
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