Elite Universities and Their Cultural and Political Dominance ?

[Martinus]

Poland is quite the opposite of the usual trend because the elite universities here are the public ones (the University of Warsaw, the Jagellonian University in Krakow and the Warsaw School of Economics. This is because private universities have historically had a rather bad reputation here ("easy low quality school for rich kids who could not get past the entry exams into the public universities") although that's changing recently, I'm told (for example we are trying to recruit some private university graduates for the first time this year).

[Admiral Yi]

Is Oxbridge private or public?

[Sheilbh]

Public.

[Ed Anger]

the University of Warsaw, the Jagellonian University in Krakow and the Warsaw School of Economics

I got a list of their classes.

Black Bread 101
Black Bread without sawdust 201
Screen doors on submarines 101
Screwing in light bulbs 101
Screwing in light bulbs with less than 4 people 201, need approval from light bulb dean
Collaboration 101

[Valmy]

Public.

Yeah but in the UK this word basically means 'elite' whereas over here a public school basically means 'shit'.

[Richard Hakluyt]

Ah yes, but in this case Sheilbh was using American to try and reduce confusion.

[Richard Hakluyt]

There is only one private university in the UK IIRC, namely the university of Buckingham. The rest are under government control though autonomous in lots of ways of course.

[Sheilbh]

Did anything come of that idea for a private university of the humanities?

[Admiral Yi]

Did anything come of that idea for a private university of the humanities?

Was the thinking to alleviate Britain's crippling shortage of actors and writers?

[Martinus]

I see. In Poland, public universities collect no tuition (at least in theory) so the difference is more pronounced - essentially a private university is the one where you pay tuition (and, correspondingly, there is an impression that since you pay, you are buying your degree).

The negative stereotype about private universities is based in that the first one used to enroll people on bullshit studies (marketing, management, advertising) that indeed were "degree shops". Now it is now changing, as I said, although for law and humanities public universities are still considered superior. On the other hand, the rare private science and technical universities are likely superior due to better funding and thus better equipment.

[Richard Hakluyt]

Did anything come of that idea for a private university of the humanities?

Here it is :

http://www.nchum.org/

.......looks like it is up and running.

So, 2 private universities.

I think there will be more in the future,  as the recent increase in student fees make freedom from the government attractive now that government financial support is so much lower.

[Jacob]

What's the bottom tier of "major business interests"?

Software development companies. 

I was talking more about the size. On one end of the scale, the guy who owns a corner store is obviously not a major business interest. On the other end, Toronto Dominion Bank, Manulife or Royal Bank are obviously major. In between that are companies like Goldcorp, Barrick-Gold, Morneau-Shepell, Jim Pattison Group, Orca Bay Sports - are they major business interests or is that too small? What about something like London Drugs? Or the Mark James group?

Basically I'm just curious roughly how big a business must be for you to consider it "major".

[Monoriu]

I don't get the part about cultural dominance.  How do graduates of elite universities dominate culturally?

The normal way one dominates culturally.  They hold (to a absurdly disproportionate degree) important jobs in the entertainment industry.

Hmm.  That seems quite odd to me, because the entertainment industry in HK is dominated by high school dropouts 

[Eddie Teach]

I don't get the part about cultural dominance.  How do graduates of elite universities dominate culturally?

The normal way one dominates culturally.  They hold (to a absurdly disproportionate degree) important jobs in the entertainment industry.

Hmm.  That seems quite odd to me, because the entertainment industry in HK is dominated by high school dropouts 

I don't think Valmy is talking about the talent so much.

[Valmy]

I don't think Valmy is talking about the talent so much.

Yeah I am talking about the writers on up to the producers and the executives and so forth