Public Opinion Preparation

Does an enrollment of 800 people really constitute a large number? Arthur's only response to this was, "No, it's really not a lot."

Compared to later universities that enroll tens of thousands, or even hundreds of thousands, of students, an enrollment of 800 for the Australian National University, as the sole university in Australia, was actually quite small.

However, this also depended on Australia's population. Currently, Australia had a total population of just over 3.7 million. The number of high school graduates aged around 18 to 30, suitable for university, was even smaller. It was possible that all of Australia couldn't even muster 10,000 such individuals.

"Principal Wilfred Freeman Weinberg, what is your estimated number of applicants this time? Will it meet the required enrollment standards?" Arthur inquired.

The number of enrollments needed to be aligned with the number of applicants. If there weren't enough applicants, then setting a high enrollment number at this point would be meaningless and only serve as a laughingstock.

"Your Highness, after combining data from the Ministry of Education and conducting our calculations, we've preliminarily determined that there are approximately 21,000 Australians who are high school graduates of the appropriate age. After subtracting those with stable, high-paying jobs, there are less than 10,000 potential candidates for this enrollment. Under normal circumstances, at least a thousand people would apply for this enrollment, but with your endorsement, this number could multiply several times over," Wilfred Freeman Weinberg said, subtly implying that Arthur should encourage eligible Australians to apply for university.

"Hahaha, very well. You are all elites in the education sector, and you naturally understand that talent is something that must be refined. I hope you will select around one thousand of the most outstanding talents from the applicants and nurture them. They will be the pillars of Australia in the coming years," Arthur chuckled, thereby agreeing to Wilfred Freeman Weinberg's proposal.

"Your Highness, I fear we must also consider whether the families of the applicants can afford the expensive university fees. I believe the Royal Family and the Government should cover a large portion of these costs for the students, otherwise, many of our students may have to drop out halfway," Wilfred Freeman Weinberg, having achieved his objective, did not stop there and continued to offer suggestions to Arthur.

As one of the senior leading figures in the education sector, Wilfred Freeman Weinberg had spent the greater part of his life serving as a principal or dean at various universities within the British Empire.

Upon being hired by the Australian Government with a generous salary this time, Wilfred Freeman Weinberg had only one requirement: he must have a say in the development of the university.

Arthur naturally didn't mind. After all, professional matters should be handled by professionals. Although Arthur possessed extensive experience and knowledge from his future life, as a monarch, delegating tasks to his subordinates was the mark of a competent ruler.

"No problem. The Royal Family will cover seventy percent of all students' tuition fees. The remaining thirty percent will also be advanced by the Royal Family for now. Once these outstanding students graduate and enter various industries in Australia, their performance will determine whether the advanced fees are waived," Arthur nodded and said with a smile.

Arthur was not a great philanthropist. He didn't mind waiving some of the tuition fees for these students, but only a portion.

The remaining tuition fees would be advanced by the Royal Family. This would serve as an excuse to have these students serve the Royal Family and, at the same time, bring these talents closer to the Royal Family, effectively cultivating talent for the monarchy.

Wilfred Freeman Weinberg saw through Arthur's intentions, but he did not object.

His sole objective was to develop the Australian National University into one of the world's top institutions. As for other matters, Wilfred Freeman Weinberg did not want to meddle and was indifferent.

"In addition, the Royal Family will establish Royal Scholarships within the university, awarding at least ten Pounds Sterling annually to two hundred outstanding students from impoverished backgrounds based on their moral character," Arthur added with a smile.

This statement was undoubtedly a bombshell. In an era where university-educated individuals were as rare as one in ten thousand, a university student was considered a top talent anywhere.

This phenomenon was caused not only by the varying development of education in different countries but also by the relatively high cost of attending university.

Everyone present was an elite in the education sector, but they had only ever heard of partial fee waivers for university; they had never heard of being paid to attend university!

Arthur had already waived most of the fees, and the remaining could be advanced. This meant that attending university could be entirely free of charge. In such circumstances, with the Royal Family also offering scholarships, wasn't this an enticement for everyone to come to Australia for their education?

However, upon closer consideration, it seemed that Arthur's annual expenditure was not excessive, amounting to only two thousand Pounds Sterling per year.

But this measure would undoubtedly significantly increase the attractiveness of the Australian National University to students. After all, with a one-in-four chance of receiving a scholarship, everyone would be tempted to try their luck.

"Alright, that's all the policies for now. You should adjust the university's admission numbers accordingly based on future application trends. However, do not exceed fifteen hundred people, and do not go below eight hundred. I will mobilize public opinion and call upon all Australians to apply for university. How you select the most outstanding talents from among them is your responsibility," Arthur concluded his remarks and left the conference room with his guards.

After Arthur's departure, the others did not rest. Instead, they entered a new round of competition for enrollment quotas.

Although Arthur had set the overall enrollment limit for the university, he had not restricted the actual enrollment numbers for each department.

This led to the possibility of increasing enrollment in each department beyond its theoretical capacity, allowing departments to vie for the highest enrollment numbers.

As teachers from the five departments were fiercely competing for their respective enrollment quotas, Arthur had already returned to his estate to begin preparing to mobilize public opinion.

Australia did have newspapers at the time, inherited from the former colonies, which Arthur had now purchased collectively.

It had to be said that in this era, newspapers were the best tool for controlling public opinion. Controlling the newspaper distribution in a country was essentially controlling the country's public discourse.

After all, in an era with limited entertainment facilities and activities, the primary way for most people to obtain information about the outside world was to buy newspapers from publishing houses or to read them over someone else's shoulder.

Second update, seeking support! Today's data will determine the next round of recommendations. I implore everyone for your support! Please collect, invest, comment, vote, and read!