GG:

1. Read the criteria for the Maclean's list.  It essentially excludes universities with graduate programs, so the whole list is second and third tier schools (with all due respect).  Check the list for medical schools and you'll see the top tier schools in Canada.

2.  "Subsidies".  Spin seems to have given up, but let me take one last kick at the can.  A Canadian university receives the same revenue from each of its students regardless of origin.  It just so happens that the revenue from Canadian students comes from two sources - personal funds and tax funds.  Nobody subsidizes anyone.  Your argument is merely about scale (or lack thereof).  I would proffer that an absence of international students would be replaced by more domestic attendees in order to maintain scale.

Alsys - I don't find this funny at all. I find the actions of an incompetant government making rash decisions with little thought to the consequences or benefits highly offenvie. I find playing politics with our kids future disgusting.

So we have infinite funds to spend on education? So why isn't Whitney fixed? It's because funds are finite.

We could have a larger discusison about criteria for receiving scholarships and bursuries but really that could be a job for the civil servants. Why force those of lower incomes to a particular institution? Unless there's another agenda.

Smokes,

I take your point about the lack of trust but does that mean you are going to question each and every decision this goverment makes until such time as it is removed from office? If you want to stress yourself out doing so, be my guest. I still believe each decision has to be taken at its own merit. You and others, however, choose to look for the negative in any and everything the PLP Government does. The fact that Bermuda has just come through a General Election means you have an awful long time to fuss and complain, better make sure you stay in shape.

"Without skipping a beat any and all eligibale students could be given an individual scholarship to attend UWI..." I do not see where scholarships will be issued based on students going to UWI, please show me how you come to this conclusion. From what I have read Goverment has increased the total allocation for scholarships.

Even with the existence of scholarships, not every student will get a scholarship, therefore, I think it is prudent that the Government provide a solution for a lower cost university education, which means that even those in the lower income brackets can hope to send their kids off to university. That has to be a positive.

"Even with the existence of scholarships, not every student will get a scholarship, therefore, I think it is prudent that the Government provide a solution for a lower cost university education, which means that even those in the lower income brackets can hope to send their kids off to university. That has to be a positive."

Guilden, true. But why do some scholarships go unawarded and why should lower income students be forced to UWI. That's the question. Should the criteria for scholarships be widened?

Alsys - duh, now I re-read your post. OK, so maybe there is enough money, i assumed given that we can't mainitna schools there wasn't? The question still remains, why restrict those of lower incomes to UWI?

And what is the hidden agenda? Because, you know with this gumnt there is one.

"Just because a student might go to a school that has been "discounted" does not make them lower income. Just because you get a scholarship doesn't make you lower income either. Christ, around about the time I went to college, Dr. Snaith's son got the Butterfield scholarship for $20G a year! Again with the assumptions... this caribbean prejudice of yours (and others, myself included) is really starting to annoy me."

No-one is saying that but Alsys - hang on, isn't the point of this UWI "buy in" is to provide lower cost university education for low income students? I don't have an issue with that, I have an issue with it being restircted to UWI AND I don't know if we pay up front, how many students will go etc etc. what the cost is, why not give hte student scholarships on a case by case basis when they attend?
It's an arse about face way of approaching a real problem.

"As I mentioned, when I was at Acadia it was ranked as the No. 2 business school in Canada"

....which surprises me.  Generally, anyone attending a university west of Quebec City would be loathe to acknowledge a Maritime university as a peer 

Well, I guess you gotta deal with that one :-)