Some millionaires did not like the ideology of universities, so they created their own university: an “anti-woke”
Like it or not, politics permeates everything in the lives of citizens and education is part of that life. In their quest for political pluralism, a group of millionaires is donating massive amounts of money to build the first “anti-woke” university in the United States in Austin, Texas, in response to anti-Semitic protests spreading on university campuses. Inspired by. For Silicon Valley.
Israeli conflict as a triggerAfter the conflict between Israel and Hamas began, university campuses were agitated by student revolts demanding that universities sever ties with Israel in protest of the bombings against Gaza’s civilian population, as stated BBC,
Many universities came under pressure from students who blocked activities on their campuses, which did not please some of their millionaire patrons. wall street journal Assured that a group of philanthropic benefactors of these universities believe that conservatism has taken over educational institutions, which is why they have decided to create their own university.
Austin University: Millionaires’ BetThe University of Austin only has 92 students, but that is not strange since it is one of the youngest universities in the US, barely three years old and has just started its first academic year. Its main donors include tycoons and wealthy investors, who have contributed more than $200 million to the new educational project.
Some, such as investor Len Blavatnik, Warner Music’s majority shareholder, have even stopped donating to Harvard University, where he studied, to contribute to the new university. The founders of the new academic project also include Joe Lonsdale, one of the co-founders of Palantir Technologies, and journalist Bari Weiss, known for his participation in the famous “Twitter files”, as he called CBS NewsAlleged bias detected “woke up“It was operated by Twitter before its acquisition by Elon Musk.
Austin University: the “anti-woke” universityAccording to real estate developer Harlan Crow, one of the institution’s patrons, the main reason for supporting this new university is “the fearless pursuit of truth. It seems that much of today’s higher education is a rejection of Western achievements and the achievements of Western civilizations. wants perfect. Many people think it’s a bad idea,” Crowe said in a statement. wall street journal,
Billionaires such as Mark Rowan and Bill Ackman were very critical of the ideological position adopted by universities after the Hamas attacks of October 7. This led them to seek an educational project more aligned with their ideology, which is reflected in messages such as one of Austin University’s promotional videos: “They burn, we build”, in reference to pro-Palestine protests. Answering on the premises.
This is not a political university, but an ideologyThe official position of the University of Austin emphasizes that it is not a school with a specific political ideology. However, according to the publication, some of its most significant donors, such as TikTok’s largest US investor, Jess Yass, make large contributions to Republican candidates and causes. forbes,
Austin University President Pano Kanellos said that the school’s top ten donors have varying political ideologies, but “all of our donors are critical of higher education today.” “I’m not interested in any university anti awakeningWhatever that means. When we create this institution, it will have people of all intellectual orientations, otherwise we will have failed,” Kenellos said in an interview. wall street journal,
Millionaires against great universitiesThe discomfort of millionaires with the political situation of elite universities is being felt in their contributions. A few days ago, Harvard head Alan M. Garber lamented the poor fundraising data in 2024. Bill Ackman, CEO of one of the major American hedge funds and patron of Austin University, gave this financial crisis a rating of X. of the unit as one of the few opportunities for change for Harvard.
“What happened on major campuses after October 7 convinced people on Wall Street and Silicon Valley that there really was a problem in higher education,” he said. wall street journal Niall Ferguson, Founder of the University of Austin.
Free education as incentive for the first yearAustin University will not receive its official recognition as a university entity until the first class graduates.
So, its first students do little more than leap into the void by studying at a new university, so its wealthy benefactors are responsible for covering the expenses with full-tuition scholarships, worth about $130,000 a year. 40% of its students are locals who chose this university because of proximity, and 33% of them are women.
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Image | Unsplash (Charles Delroy)