Alex Budak

First of all, I should make clear that donating money, rather than keeping it to oneself should be applauded.  That said, I really wish Eric Schmidt hadn’t donated that money to Princeton.  I understand that it’s his Alma Mater, and that it’s a great school, but it also already has an endowment over $16 Billion — enough that even $25 million doesn’t make a huge splash.

Imagine how much more that money could have done if he had donated it to other universities.  How about his graduate school Alma Mater, UC Berkeley, a leading public institution, facing a real financial crisis.  What about if he decided to support other Universities in the Silicon Valley?  $25 million could make a huge difference at San Jose State.  There, instead of flowing into the Ivy League war chest, it could improve infrastructure, build computer labs, hire great new faculty, and help bring a school in his own backyard up a notch or two. What about, even closer to home, supporting technology courses and training at local community colleges, helping to bring America’s workforce into the 21st century?

Surely it’s a great thing to be generous with one’s money; I just wish that donors, such as Schmidt, would find a way to do the greatest good for the greatest number with their gifts — and in this case, the answer lies far closer to home at a Public university than in the ivy-lined halls of Princeton.