You have /5 articles left.
Sign up for a free account or log in.
Some Connecticut politicians want to tax some of Yale University's endowment, leading to frustration in New Haven.
In an unexpected response on Tuesday, Florida Governor Rick Scott invited Yale to move to Florida. “With news that the Connecticut Legislature wants to unfairly tax one of the nation’s most renowned universities to deal with the state’s budget shortfall, it is clear that all businesses in Connecticut, including Yale, should look to move to Florida,” said a statement released by the governor's press office. “If Connecticut lawmakers are seriously considering another tax on Yale, businesses and families should be concerned about the other tax increases their Legislature will consider. We would welcome a world-renowned university like Yale to our state and I can commit that we will not raise taxes on their endowment. This would add yet another great university to our state.”
What is unclear is whether Governor Scott, a Republican, is aware of the full range of Yale's academic programs. In 2011, the governor famously said that the state didn't need any more anthropologists. If Yale moves to Fort Lauderdale or Boca Raton, it would presumably bring along its anthropology department (which boasts faculty members, graduate students and undergrads), not to mention the university's Peabody Museum of Natural History, whose collections and curators seem pretty anthropology centered.
At any rate, Yale doesn't seem to be ready to put its campus on the market. A statement from the university said, “It’s wonderful to be recognized as an outstanding asset, but Yale, New Haven and Connecticut have been on common ground to great mutual benefit for 300 years. We’re looking forward to reaching even greater heights in education, research and civic engagement over the next three centuries and more.”
