Here’s some therapeutic news in these hard times. Call it stealth benevolence.

Someone - or some group - has been giving huge sums of money recently to several unversitities anonymously. In fact, keeping their identity secret was the main condition for these schools to receive the cash.

The gifts ranged from $8 million at Purdue to $1.5
million donated to the University of North Carolina at Asheville. The
University of Iowa received $7 million; the University of Southern
Mississippi, the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and the
University of Maryland University College got $6 million each; the
University of Colorado at Colorado Springs was given $5.5 million; and
Penn State-Harrisburg received $3 million.

It’s not clear whether the gifts came from an individual, an
organization or a group of people with similar interests. In every
case, the donor or donors dealt with the universities through lawyers
or other middlemen. Some of the money came in cashier’s checks, while
other schools received checks from a law firm or another representative.

All the schools had to agree not to investigate the identity of the giver. Some were required to make such a promise in writing…

Each was delivered since March 1 and came with the same stipulation:
Most of the money must be used for student scholarships, and the
remainder can be spent on various costs such as research, equipment,
strategic goals and operating support.

It would yield the greatest benefits to society if it also required that they teach a classical liberal education and promote critical thinking skills. And add a Great Books program.