Balkan "Universities"

[Vangelovski]

This should give people a small perspective on where our "elites" are dumbing themselves up. Includes one of many Macedonian universities that should be on this list.

http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/blog...and-megatrends

[Brian]

Universities are a money making venture which happen to deal with education rather than the image in most people's minds as centres of elite intelligence.

Not only do they make money for the institution but are also a form of business/wealth distribution. As in the USA some towns become 'University Towns' where the university becomes a major component of the town's economy - student accommodation (rental market), cloths shops, book shops, bars, cafes, groceries, laundromats, bottle shops, drugs, ect. Without the students there some of these places become like ghost towns. Ohrid for example lives off it's summer tourist trade and it's winter 'student trade' - without the students Ohrid's economy would be hugely impacted reducing the towns income per capita and the councils tax base. This forced wealth redistribution is more evident when you consider universities specialising in certain fields ie medicine in this city, economics in that city, engineering in another, ect. so that towns are not in competition for the student dollar and everyone gets a cut.

Universities in different towns are also the governments form of social engineering - doctor guys meet doctor girls, economics guys meet economics girls, ect having more in common (both in education/carer and social standing) are more likely to see each other as equals and pair up even though they may originally be from different parts of the country creating less people 'left on the shelf' and greater DNA diversity. This diversity in home locations also creates business for the transport industry with students going home at least for holidays and more often frequent visits for laundry or re-supplies.

Universities are far more than just an education.