Chapter 75 Reunion with the Principal

The morning after Mu Xin returned to Oxford Town, he had Jessica call the office of President Archie Rockwell of Miami University to schedule a meeting.

Less than fifteen minutes later, a return call came in.

President Archie said he was available at ten in the morning, his tone as warm as if he were waiting for an old friend.

Mu Xin hung up the phone, leaned back in his chair, and smiled.

This was the effect of donating dollars; the president's private time was always open to you.

At nine-fifty, Mu Xin, accompanied by Jessica and Victoria, walked into President Archie's office.

He had been to this office once before; back then, he was just an international student who had just received the system and was feeling unsure, sitting there talking to the president about donating money in exchange for grades and dormitory housing.

Now, walking in again, his state of mind was completely different.

President Archie Rockwell stood up from behind his desk, his face crinkling with a smile.

He was still the same, in his sixties, friendly, and the top of his head seemed a little balder than the last time they met.

"Mr. Mu, long time no see!" President Archie walked around his desk and proactively reached out his hand, shaking firmly—much more firmly than last time. "I heard you've been making quite a few big moves in town recently."

"You are very well-informed, Mr. President." Mu Xin smiled and sat down on the sofa.

Jessica and Victoria sat on either side of him; one opened a notebook, while the other pulled a copy of the donation intent letter from her bag.

"The Water Plant, the hotel, the electric company, and that batch of new police cars for the Police Department." President Archie counted on his fingers, his tone filled with unconcealable surprise.

"Mr. Mu, the money you've spent in these last two months is more than the total donations our school has received over the past five years."

"Money is meant to be spent." Mu Xin took the coffee handed to him by the president's secretary and took a sip. "Spending it in Oxford Town, I think it's worth it."

President Archie nodded, sat opposite Mu Xin, crossed his hands on his knees, and his gaze took on a layer of scrutiny.

He had been a president for so many years and had seen countless donors, but this was the first time he had met a young man like Mu Xin—so generous, so decisive in his actions, and clearly not doing it for personal fame or gain.

"Mr. President, I have two things to discuss today." Mu Xin put down his coffee cup, took the donation intent letter from Victoria, and placed it in front of President Archie.

"First, I would like to donate to build a School of Public Policy at Miami University."

President Archie was stunned for a moment, then picked up the document and lowered his head to read it.

The donation intent letter was addressed to Miami University, the amount was sixty million dollars, and the purpose was to donate to build the DeWine School of Public Policy and related facilities.

The signature section contained Mu Xin's name, as well as a name he recognized: Governor Mike DeWine, the Governor of Ohio, who had signed beside it as a witness.

President Archie's breathing visibly quickened; sixty million dollars was the largest donation he had received since becoming president.

Furthermore, this wasn't just a cash donation; it was for the construction of a physical building plus an endowment fund, which meant that a new college building named after Governor DeWine would be added to the university's campus map.

"The DeWine School of Public Policy..." President Archie looked up at Mu Xin. "Does the Governor know about this?"

"You've seen the signature on the letter of intent." Mu Xin pointed to the bottom right corner of the document. "Governor DeWine signed it as a witness."

"Of course, the formal donation agreement can only take effect after some administrative procedures are completed."

"But I came here today to let you know, Mr. President, that this money is real; it's not just an empty promise."

President Archie took a deep breath, placed the donation intent letter on the table, and pressed his fingers lightly against it, as if confirming the reality of the paper.

"Mr. Mu, do you mean that this school will be named after Governor DeWine?"

"Yes." Mu Xin nodded. "The DeWine School of Public Policy, with four departments: Public Policy, Public Administration, Urban Governance, and Environmental Policy."

"The teaching building, library, student dormitory, and full scholarships will all be funded by me."

"The total investment will be no less than sixty million dollars. After it is built, I will establish another endowment fund, investing no less than two million dollars annually for operations and scholarships."

President Archie hadn't never seen money before, but sixty million dollars plus a two-million-dollar annual endowment was a significant figure for any university.

Moreover, although Miami University Oxford Campus had a long history, its national ranking was not top-tier. Receiving such a donation would be enough to elevate the school's reputation by a notch.

"Mr. Mu, what is the estimated construction period for this school?" President Archie asked.

"The sooner, the better." Mu Xin's tone was calm. "Governor DeWine leaves office next year, and I hope to see the foundation laid for the school before he steps down."

"At the fastest, how long would design, approval, and construction take in total?"

President Archie thought for a moment and frowned: "Under normal procedures, at least two years."

"Two years is too long." Mu Xin shook his head. "Mr. President, my hotel project only took one month from receiving approval to breaking ground."

"I believe that as a private university, Miami University should be more flexible in its approval processes than a state park."

President Archie was silent for a few seconds, then slowly nodded.

Miami University was a university; land planning, building approvals, and project initiation also needed coordination with the local government, but it didn't require going through layer upon layer of bureaucracy like a state park.

As long as the Board of Trustees nodded and the President's Office gave the green light, many things could be handled as special cases.

"Mr. Mu, if you can guarantee that the funds will be in place on time, I can propose to the Board of Trustees to use the fast track." President Archie's voice was steady.

"Within six months, we can complete design, approval, and bidding, and strive to hold the groundbreaking ceremony before Governor DeWine leaves office."

"Six months." Mu Xin tapped his fingers lightly on his knees. "Mr. President, I believe you can do it."

"But I have one more condition."

"Go ahead."

"For the architectural design of the school, I hope it will be jointly handled by three architects: Rick Joy, Marwan Al-Sayed, and Wendell Burnette."

President Archie was stunned again.

Of course he knew these three names—the designers of Amangiri, world-class masters of resort hotel architecture.

Having these three design a School of Public Policy—the specifications were ridiculously high.

"Mr. Mu, these three are hotel designers, not educational building designers." There was a hint of hesitation in President Archie's tone.

"The essence of architecture is the same." Mu Xin leaned back in his chair. "Good architecture can converse with the site and inspire the people who work and study within it."

"Amangiri has been built in the desert for nearly twenty years; why? Because that building itself is a work of art."

"I hope the DeWine School of Public Policy will also be a work of art, a work of art that will make everyone who passes by it remember the name DeWine."