[adventured]

The top 20 universities in the US are sitting on over a quarter of a trillion dollars in endowment money (including MIT at $15b), which continues to perpetually increase. I'd like to see them step up and almost entirely fund the creation of the EIC (the US Government could still kick in billions of dollars with little hassle). Far better to be directing their wealthy donors toward important projects like this, than another building on campus.

[tanderson92]

This is an argument against public investment in science and a reliance on private donor-based science. Is that really the direction we want for our country and the entities in which we want to entrust the future R&D decisions of our country?

[oh_sigh]

It sounds more like just an argument for private donor-based science than an argument against public investment.

[tanderson92]

It is an argument for private donor-based science instead of public investment.

[oh_sigh]

But OP said that the government could also pony up billions of dollars for the project. The main point seemed to be that universities are wasting their endowment with fancy buildings instead of doing science.

[3rdAccount]

New fancy buildings entice more students with heavy student loans to spend.

[davrosthedalek]

New buildings and the possibility not to penny-pinch every time also makes a much nicer work/study environment.

[bytematic]

Gotta love million dollar charity donations to schools which are unable to go bankrupt they generate so much money passively.