Pima said:
Was he stating repayment was 170K and hiding the fact that the true cost is closer to 400K or is it 170K and at hs scholarship night they inflate the cost to boast/recruit ?
It only bothers me because if the numbers are being shaved to defend their position, than I find that wrong.
Nothing out of order. Adm Fowler was responding directly to Fleming’s charge, something Luigi refuses to admit.
Fleming:
at an average cost to taxpayers of nearly half a million dollars per student
“Cost” and “value”, two completely different things. “Overall costs” and “cost to taxpayers”, two completely different things.
Alumni and others donate money which contribute to the value of the overall experience. The Willie Brown Field House and the new sports complex across the river cost the tax payers nothing. Yet they both provide value to each and every midshipman. The old field house probably cost 2 mil back in 1962. Yet it continues to provide value. No cost at all to the taxpayer and totally depreciated cost to the alumni. Alumni contributions and mid store profits fund extracurricular activities. They provide value but don’t cost the taxpayer a cent. The NAAA budget, funding all the non-revenue producing sports, provide value to the midshipmen but don’t cost the taxpayer anything.
Sitting in a freshman Calculus class of only twelve other midshipmen probably costs the taxpayer much less than it costs Harvard to do the same. Military officers are probably funded differently and tenured USNA profs teach a lot more than do profs at most other universities.
Adm Fowler was simply responding to a rebuttal. Don’t try to make it into something that it isn’t. Fleming said it cost tapayers nearly a half million dollars. The DON says it costs taxpayers $170,000. That is a fact.
The Master Card commercial comes to mind. Costs-$170,000, value-priceless.
And the reason one normally sees payback numbers, for those who do not complete their commitments, in the $85,000 range is that this is half of $170,000 and the first two years (half) carry no commitment.