Big Capitalist

Chapter 214: Charging additional tuition fees?

Jenny rolled her eyes as she watched Merlin say these words. With the subsequent show of hands, this faculty meeting seemed to have become a one-man show for Merlin, with virtually no teacher voting against it.

Of course, this is also based on the fact that all of Merlin's proposals are from the perspective of the Arcane Academy. Apart from giving the Student Union and the Student Union President greater power, there seems to be no selfish motive at all.

But is this really the case? Not really. Although Merlin's proposal was indeed from the perspective of the college, if you think about it carefully, the first beneficiary of the various plans he proposed is undoubtedly him, the president of the student union.

As the reforms of the academy gradually proceeded according to his ideas, Merlin's power and influence also expanded, which further consolidated his position within the academy.

At this time, Vice Dean Jenny suddenly spoke up, her voice revealing a hint of seriousness, "Merlin, although your ideas and constructive suggestions are good, we can never avoid a core issue, that is, the funding issue. According to your plan, I think 20 million gold coins are not enough, even if you limit the research funding for teachers. After all, the academy can only survive until now, thanks to the sponsorship of those nobles."

"Although it seems that the current funds are sufficient to maintain the operation of the academy, as your reforms deepen, the expenses will inevitably increase gradually. Especially with the introduction of the credit system, the sponsorship of the nobles may be greatly reduced. By then, how can we raise enough gold coins to maintain the operation of the academy?"

This was indeed a thorny problem, and the teachers in the conference room all turned their eyes to Merlin, expecting him to come up with a reasonable solution.

Merlin smiled and said not to worry, he was already prepared for the academy's open source plan.

Hearing this, the deans of the six branches and Vice-Dean Jenny all showed puzzled expressions, thinking to themselves: How can Merlin raise funds for the Arcane Academy?

The first suggestion Merlin made was to increase tuition fees! This proposal immediately sparked strong opposition, especially from Vice Dean Jenny, who showed a look of disappointment on her face. Sure enough, Merlin was still a child, and he actually came up with such a simple and crude method.

Vice Dean Jenny said firmly: "This is impossible. The tuition fees of the Arcane Academy are systematically calculated to meet the normal enrollment needs of students from civilian families. If the tuition fees are increased, many families will not be able to afford it, and a large number of students may face the risk of dropping out. Doing so will undoubtedly exclude students from civilian families. Raising tuition fees is absolutely not acceptable!"

The other teachers nodded in agreement. In fact, the tuition of the Arcane Academy was already relatively high. If it was any higher, it would completely exclude students from civilian families, causing a large number of potential students to be buried.

Merlin smiled and said, "I have already considered this. The tuition I want to increase is not for students from ordinary families."

Vice Dean Jenny frowned, with a hint of confusion in her tone, "Even if they are noble students, it won't work. According to your credit system reform requirements, noble students and ordinary students should be on the same platform to compete fairly. If you charge noble students extra tuition, you must give them some preferential treatment."

Merlin nodded and admitted this. "That's something we can consider. It's fine to charge noble students more tuition and give them some insignificant preferential treatment." However, he added, "I don't really want to charge noble students more tuition."

This confused the teachers present. Who exactly did Merlin want to charge the extra tuition for?

Merlin looked around, chuckled and said, "Of course we charge extra tuition for foreigners."

Foreigners? The teachers in the conference room were stunned for a moment when they heard this. Vice Dean Jenny suddenly reacted and asked, "Are you talking about the elves?"

"By the way, there are a group of elves in the academy! The elves are super wealthy, so there might be something to be gained from this."

"The elves, ah. Since the dean allowed the elves to enroll in the Arcane Academy two years ago, it seems that he has never collected their tuition."

"Yes, not only that, the academy also allocated an area specifically for them. I remember it was in the back mountain of the Beast Taming Academy..."

"The teaching resources consumed by these elves are also huge. I think it is appropriate to charge some tuition fees."

Many teachers began to discuss the feasibility of this proposal privately, and the atmosphere gradually became lively.

However, Merlin raised his lips slightly and continued, "Who said there are only elves? What I mean is to relax the admission requirements of the Arcane Academy. Not only elves, we can even allow students of various races such as dwarves, orcs, and sirens to come to our Arcane Academy to study!"

Merlin's words immediately sparked a heated discussion among the faculty. Some supported his idea, believing that it would bring new sources of funding and a diversified culture to the college; others expressed concerns that cultural differences between different races might lead to conflicts and affect the college's teaching order.

Some teachers even strongly opposed it, believing that the introduction of foreign students might dilute the college's traditions and reputation, or even cause greater trouble.

"How can we allow those foreigners to enter our college? Their culture and values are completely different from ours!" an elderly teacher said excitedly.

“But if we don’t try, how can the future of the college be secured?”

"I think it's okay. Since we have already admitted the elves, it won't be a big problem to admit other intelligent races!"

"Let them learn our advanced knowledge and then persecute our fellow human beings?"

"What are you talking about! I think Merlin's suggestion is very good!" A dwarf teacher couldn't help but speak.

"That's right, that's right. We have wanted to raise this point for a long time. As a member of the Siren clan, I am here to teach you students the secret arts of your race. I haven't said anything. So what's wrong with letting my people come to the Arcane Academy to study?" A female Siren with fish fins supported.

"What about the orcs? Our relationship with the orcs is not good. The orcs have always wanted to invade our land!"

"That was a hundred years ago. Although there are some frictions now, the Aize Federation Peace Treaty is still in effect! The orcs don't dare to start a war!"

"Asshole, what are you talking about? Our Xinghui Empire is the first wall to stop the beastmen. We have a deep hatred for our country and family. I don't agree with the beastmen's admission!"

"Idiot, the orcs have indeed been ready to attack the territory of our Star Empire in recent years. Do you think our empire alone can stop the orc army? Other empires will definitely not support them wholeheartedly. If we allow the orcs to enroll in the Arcane Academy, maybe it can ease the relationship between us!" Another teacher from the Star Empire retorted.