Training the Heavens

Chapter 315 MSG
These words really touched Ma Xiangbo's heart. In order to run Aurora University, he invested all of his 3,000 acres of family property, begged for money everywhere, and with the investment from Zhang Xingjiu, he was able to barely keep Aurora University going.

But even so, the expenses required to start a university still exceeded his expectations. Purchasing land, building a campus, purchasing books, procuring experimental equipment, paying salaries to faculty and staff, etc., money was spent like water.

If Zhang Xingjiu had not won the Nobel Prize and donated more than 100,000 taels of silver to the college in one go, Aurora College would probably have collapsed. However, although 100,000 taels of silver is a lot, it cannot withstand such consumption.

As the number of teachers and students in the college increased, daily expenses were also increasing. Even such a large amount of money could not last long. Ma Xiangbo was worried about how to increase revenue almost every day.

Hearing Zhang Xingjiu's words, he quickly asked, "Does Zhou Ping have any good ideas?"

"When I traveled around Europe and America, I also carefully studied the income sources of local universities. Europe has many public schools, and their daily expenses are mainly funded by national or local government grants. We can't learn this. We are neither the Imperial University of Peking nor the Beiyang University. The court will not provide us with funding, and even if they do, it may not be a good thing."

"That's true. If you take money from the court, you have to abide by the court's rules. If they send a new principal and ask us to manage school affairs like the Nanyang Public School, it will not be Aurora College!" Ma Xiangbo also felt the same way. If he wanted to strive for funding from the court, he could find someone to help him write a petition. Whether it was Li Hefei in the past or Sheng Xuanhuai now, they would support him.

Even Zhang Xingjiu could use his reputation to persuade the court to give him money, but if he did so, his daily teaching work would definitely be constrained by the court, and he would feel unhappy about everything he did.

"The same is true for introducing foreign or church funding. It would not maintain the independence of Aurora University, so I will not discuss these two methods."

Compared to Europe, there are more private colleges and universities in the United States. Their funding sources mainly include the following aspects:
Tuition fees at private universities in the United States are generally quite high. Once the number of students enrolled increases, the tuition income becomes very considerable. It's a pity that we can't continue to study there. Otherwise, Aurora College will become a place exclusively for the children of wealthy families, and students from poor families will be daunted!"

"The second is donations. Donations can come from real estate, stocks, private donations, and fundraising events. This is also our current source of income for Aurora College. As the school's reputation grows, this income will likely increase! However, we just offended Sheng Xuanhuai, and I'm afraid that donation income will be affected in the short term."

"Private universities in the United States will also use their surplus funds to purchase stocks or invest in businesses, thereby obtaining investment income to maintain financial stability and cover various expenses."

"We can emulate this approach, but Shanghai's investment environment isn't as good as the US. We lack mature regulations and sufficient professionals, so we need to be extremely cautious. It's best to discuss with the school's board of directors and come up with a charter before investing."

"This approach is feasible. Most of our school directors are from the business community. Zhang Jian, Yan Fu, Xiong Xiling, and others have either started their own factories or made business investments. As long as we come up with a thorough plan, they will not only approve it but also help us find suitable investment opportunities. With their help, the investment risk will be much smaller."

"Private universities in the United States also accept government grants and research funding. We're not considering the former for now, but we can discuss the latter. For example, if Sheng Xuanhuai encounters technical difficulties while building a railway or operating a telegraph, he can pay us to conduct research. Similarly, if Zhang Zhuangyuan or other factory owners encounter similar problems, they can also pay us to help solve them."

"This way, not only will the school earn more money, but the teachers and students will also get valuable training opportunities. After graduation, these students will be able to immediately take up key technical positions in factories and government offices." Ma Xiangbo nodded repeatedly. "That's great, that's great. What they learn in school must be put to use eventually. Besides, isn't the purpose of establishing Aurora University to enrich the people and strengthen the country? If it can improve China's industrial and commercial standards, that would be even better."

"Finally, there are the benefits of collaborative projects. For example, the university allocates funds for faculty and students to use for research or book compilation. Once the research yields results, they can invest in commercial operations and earn a considerable income. If the compiled book is a bestseller, they can also earn a certain amount of income! Both the university and the scholars responsible for research and book compilation can profit, which in turn motivates other scholars to focus on research and book compilation, thus forming a virtuous cycle."

Ma Xiangbo's eyes lit up even more. "The textbooks and physics dictionaries that Zhou Ping compiled previously sold very well. Instead of letting others make the money, why not keep it ourselves? Of course, the remuneration for Zhou Ping will definitely not be small!"

"I must accept this money, and donate it to the school! Use it to improve your life!" Zhang Xingjiu emphasized.

"Haha, of course. I still understand the principle of Zigong redeeming people and Zilu accepting cattle." Ma Xiangbo laughed. He knew that Zhang Xingjiu was worried that he was too high-profile and made other teachers in the school feel uncomfortable.

But not every teacher is as well-fed and well-clothed as Zhang Xingjiu. When they see Zhang Xingjiu enjoying life with the money, they will put aside their worries and put the money away with peace of mind. Even if it is for personal enjoyment, it will inspire their fighting spirit and create more benefits for Aurora College.

"Also, Zongwen's French textbook is also well compiled and can be put on public sale. Mr. Jin's Basic Chemistry, Mr. Fang's Basic Law, etc., can also be put on sale!" Ma Xiangbo is familiar with every teacher at Aurora University and immediately thought of several works that have the potential to be bestsellers.

"I can also use my patent on wireless telegraphy to cooperate with the school. The school can provide the funds and introduce other shareholders to establish a new company to run this business." When Zhang Xingjiu sold the patent, he kept a portion of it. He could open his own wireless telegraph company in China or Southeast Asia.

"Great, great, wireless telegraphy has a bright future. Once this is accomplished, the school will have a huge income!" Ma Xiangbo was so happy that he didn't know what to say.

"By the way, I recently made a little gadget that should have good prospects."

"Oh? What is it?"

“MSG!”

(End of this chapter)