LETTER TO THE EDITOR:

Education worth every penny spent

Herman van Betten, Blue Diamond

Sunday, Feb. 1, 2009 | 2:03 a.m.

Gov. Jim Gibbons’ ignorance about the value of a university, as revealed in your Thursday editorial headlined “More inane comments,” contrasts strongly with what happened in the Netherlands centuries ago. After the city of Leiden repelled a Spanish invasion, the government gave the city’s residents the choice of two rewards: be free from paying taxes in perpetuity or be the seat of a university. They chose a university.

By the 17th century, Leiden University was the leading university in Europe. Its famous medical school sent professors to emerging medical schools all over Europe. Scholars and philosophers such as Voltaire and Montesquieu and writers and scientists from all over Europe had their books printed in Holland and more than 50 percent of all books in the world were published in Holland.

The university was also the engine of commercial growth: The idea of a stock market was born in Holland when large amounts of money were needed to finance the fleet of the Dutch East India Company. Professors were well paid and were able to purchase one barrel of beer a month and 30 liters of wine without having to pay taxes on it.

Holland became a world power and colonized the Dutch East Indies. Manhattan was New Amsterdam and a large part of the East Coast was called New Netherland.

Even today, Leiden University is a famous, well-respected university.

I commend higher education Chancellor Jim Rogers for his dogged persistence in fighting for a great university. The welfare and the future of Nevada will depend on his success.

The writer is a former associate professor at UNLV and a former dean at what was then known as the Community College of Southern Nevada.

Discussion: 5 comments so far…

By odog

2/1/09 at 4:08 a.m.

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Educrats are continuously statung that education is our future or Nevada's future. Tax payers and others have spent tons of money on the education system in Nevada and it is still ranked at the bottom. The future will bring home schooling and online schooling. Teachers will be in private education entities or learning a new trade. Fix the education system before asking for more of our money to waste.
By lvmachead

2/1/09 at 7:15 a.m.

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I'm sorry that education costs money, but Nevada has never spent what is required for a good educational system. If you look at the dollars per capita income spent or per pupil spending, you'll find we are cheapskates. We have one of the worst student to teacher ratios in the country leaving us with grossly over crowded classrooms and a shortage of the basic supplies necessary to effectively teach. That is why our schools fare so poorly.

If you want quality education you'll have to pay for it. Why do you think the top universities and schools in the country cost so much?
By gmag39

2/1/09 at 8:45 a.m.

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lvmachead; couldn't agree more.
How could people possibly be "anti-education"?
The root of it all is greed. & Shortsighted folishness.
"Not with my money! YOU are wasting MY money!"
As in most things, you get what you pay for.
By gunowners4obama

2/1/09 at 9:01 a.m.

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The future will bring home schooling, odog? Wow, that is a scary prospect. Have you seen who's out there breeding? (Which is probably part of the problem with schools, you know.)
By gmag39

2/1/09 at 11:10 a.m.

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gunowners4obama; BINGO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Las Vegas is like living @ the state fair.