Chapter 38 Preparing Public Opinion
Is enrolling 800 students a lot? Arthur could only say—no, not really.
Compared to future universities with tens of thousands of students, the Australian National University, being the only university in the country, accepting just 800 students was actually quite modest.
But that number must be considered in relation to Australia's population. At present, Australia had only around 3.7 million people. The number of high school graduates between the ages of 18 and 30 who were eligible for university was even smaller—perhaps fewer than 10,000 across the entire country.
"Principal Wilfred Freeman Weinberg, based on your estimates, how many applicants do you expect this time? Can you meet the enrollment quota?" Arthur asked.
Enrollment goals had to match the number of applicants. If not enough people applied, then setting a high target would be meaningless—a joke, even.
"Your Highness, according to our calculations using Education Ministry data, there are about 21,000 Australians who have graduated from high school and are of eligible age. Subtracting those with stable, high-income jobs, fewer than 10,000 remain as potential candidates. Under normal circumstances, at least 1,000 should apply. But with your public endorsement, that number could multiply several times," Wilfred Freeman Weinberg said, subtly hinting that Arthur should personally call on the population to apply.
"Hahaha, very well. You are all experts in the field of education and understand that talent must be carefully cultivated. I hope you'll select around 1,000 of the most outstanding individuals from the applicants and train them well—they will become the backbone of Australia in the years to come," Arthur laughed heartily, effectively agreeing to Wilfred's suggestion.
"Your Highness, we may also need to consider whether the students' families can afford the high cost of university. I believe the royal family and the government should cover the majority of the expenses. Otherwise, most of our students may have to drop out midway," Wilfred pressed further.
As a seasoned leader in education, Wilfred Freeman Weinberg had spent most of his career serving as principal or dean at top universities across the British Empire.
This time, he was brought to Australia with a generous salary, but he had only one condition: he must have a say in the university's development.
Arthur didn't mind at all. After all, professional matters should be left to professionals. Despite having knowledge and experience from a future age, as a monarch, Arthur knew a true leader delegated well.
"No problem. The royal family will cover 70% of all tuition costs. The remaining 30% will be fronted by the royal treasury for now. Once these students graduate and begin their careers across various sectors, their performance will determine whether the loaned tuition is forgiven," Arthur nodded and said with a smile.
Arthur wasn't a saint. He was willing to waive part of the tuition, but only part. The rest, prepaid by the royal treasury, would serve two purposes: as a reason to secure loyalty from these students and to create a connection between them and the royal family. In essence, this was an investment in human capital.
Wilfred saw through Arthur's strategy but didn't object.
His sole aim was to elevate Australian National University into one of the world's premier institutions. He didn't concern himself with politics, nor did he care.
"In addition, the royal family will establish a Royal Scholarship Program at the university, awarding 200 scholarships annually to poor students of good character, each worth no less than ten pounds," Arthur added with a smile.
This was a bombshell announcement. In an age when university students were one-in-a-million talents, this was unprecedented.
The reason for such rarity was not only uneven educational development across countries, but also the prohibitively high cost of attending university.
Everyone in the room was an academic elite, and most had heard of tuition exemptions—but never of getting paid to go to university!
Arthur had already waived the majority of tuition and covered the rest in advance. Essentially, students could attend for free. Now, with additional scholarships, it seemed he was practically inviting everyone to study in Australia.
On further reflection, it didn't even cost Arthur that much—only about 2,000 pounds per year.
But the impact of this move would be enormous. It would significantly increase the university's appeal to students. With a 1 in 4 chance of receiving a scholarship, everyone would want to try.
"Alright, that concludes the policy updates. Adjust enrollment as needed based on actual applications, but don't exceed 1,500 or fall below 800. I will launch a public campaign to encourage all Australians to apply. It's up to you to select the best candidates from among them," Arthur said, then left the conference room with his guards.
Once he had left, the room didn't fall into idleness. Instead, it erupted into a fierce competition over quotas.
Arthur had set an overall enrollment limit, but not specific quotas per department.
That meant each department could increase its numbers within reason, and whoever recruited the most students would come out on top.
While the five departments battled over their share of the student body, Arthur had already returned to the estate to prepare his public campaign.
Australia did have newspapers—legacy publications from its colonial days—which Arthur had since acquired and unified under his control.
In this era, newspapers were the best tool for shaping public opinion. Whoever controlled the press essentially controlled the narrative.
After all, in a time without much in the way of entertainment, the only way people could access information was by buying a paper—or borrowing someone else's to read.
(End of Chapter)
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