Chapter 315 MSG
These words touched Ma Xiangbo's heart. In order to run Aurora College, he invested all of his 3,000 mu of property, begged for alms everywhere, and with the investment from Zhang Xingjiu, he was able to barely support the Aurora College.
But even so, the expenses required to start a university still exceeded his expectations. Purchasing land, building a campus, purchasing books, purchasing experimental equipment, paying faculty salaries, 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.
Now hearing what Zhang Xingjiu said, he quickly asked, "Does Zhou Ping have any good ideas?"
"When I traveled in Europe and America, I also carefully studied the sources of income for local universities. There are many public schools in Europe, and the school's daily expenses are mainly funded by the state or local government. We can't learn this. We are neither the Imperial University of Peking nor the Beiyang University. The court will not give us funding, and even if they are willing to give us, 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 him 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 certainly be constrained by the court, and he would feel unhappy about everything he did.
"The same is true for introducing foreign or church funds. It is impossible to maintain the independence of Aurora College, so I will not discuss these two methods."
"Compared to Europe, there are more private colleges in the United States. Their funding sources mainly include the following aspects: tuition fees. The tuition fees of private universities in the United States are usually relatively high. Once the number of students enrolled increases, the tuition income becomes very considerable. It's a pity that we can't study there. Otherwise, Aurora College will become the exclusive preserve of rich children, and poor students can only look on!"
"The second is donations. Donations can come from real estate, stocks, private donations, and fundraising activities. This is also the current source of income for our Aurora College. As the school's reputation grows, this income may increase! However, we have just offended Sheng Xuanhuai, and I am afraid that the donation income will be affected in the short term."
"For investment income, private universities in the United States will also take out surplus funds to buy stocks or invest in enterprises, thereby obtaining investment income to maintain financial stability and for various expenses."
"We can follow this approach, but the investment environment in Shanghai is not as good as that in the United States. There are not enough mature rules and professionals, so we must be extra cautious. It is best to discuss with the school board and come up with a charter before investing."
"This method is feasible. Most of our school directors are business people. Zhang Jian, Yan Fu, Xiong Xiling and others have either opened factories or made commercial investments. As long as we come up with a thorough plan, they will not only agree, 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 will not consider the former for now, but we can discuss the latter. For example, if Sheng Xuanhuai encounters technical difficulties when building railways or operating telegraphs, he can pay us to conduct research; if Zhang Zhuangyuan or other factory owners encounter similar problems, they can also pay us to help solve them."
"This way, the school will not only earn more money, but teachers and students will also get valuable training opportunities. After graduation, these students will be able to take up important 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. 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 level, it would be great."
"Finally, there are benefits from cooperative projects. For example, the school allocates funds for teachers and students to use in research or book compilation. Once the research has results, they can invest money in commercial operations and earn a lot of money. If the compiled books are popular, they can also get a certain amount of income! Both the school and the scholars responsible for research and book compilation can make a profit, which can in turn encourage other scholars to concentrate on research and book compilation, thus forming a virtuous circle."
Ma Xiangbo's eyes lit up even more. "The textbooks and physics dictionaries compiled by Zhou Ping previously sold very well. Instead of letting others make the money, we might as well do it ourselves! Of course, the remuneration for Zhou Ping will definitely not be less!"
"I must accept this money, and donate it to the school! Just use it to improve your life!" Zhang Xingjiu emphasized.
"Haha, of course. I still understand the principle of Zigong redeeming people and Zilu accepting the cow." Ma Xiangbo laughed. He knew that Zhang Xingjiu was worried that he was too high-profile and made other teachers in the school 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 very good and can be put on public sale. Mr. Jin’s Basics of Chemistry, Mr. Fang’s Basics of Law, and so on, can all be put on sale!” Ma Xiangbo was familiar with every teacher at Aurora College and immediately thought of several works that could potentially become bestsellers.
"I can also use my patent on wireless telegraphy to cooperate with the school. The school can pay and introduce other shareholders to build a new company to run this business." When Zhang Xingjiu sold his patent, he kept a part of it. He could open his own wireless telegraph company in China and 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 a good future."
"Oh? What is it?"
“MSG!”
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
