Ranking of rich alumni triggers debate

The compiler of a controversial list of rich alumni said the ranking helps promote entrepreneurial education at universities, reports http://China.org.cn. A total of 183 graduates of two universities have become billionaires in the past three decades, according to a report from cuaa.net, a website focusing on university ranking and evaluation.

The report, released last Wednesday, showed that 94 billionaires graduated from top-listed Tsinghua University, while Peking University ranked second with 89 billionaires.

Some web users said ranking universities by the number of rich alumni is insulting as universities are symbols of academia and knowledge. "It is ridiculous to link the quality of the university with the ability to produce rich people," a netizen said.

But the compiler of the list said it actually respects knowledge, as the list tells people that knowledge could make money. "We've received a lot of criticism since 2005, when we published the first report," said Zhao Deguo, the chief editor of cuaa.net, who is in charge of the report. "I hope the report can show that private business owners and entrepreneurs make great contributions to society, and change the stereotype of doing business in China. It is not certain that a scientist is more useful to society than a private business owner," Zhao said.
Full report on the China.org,cn site