Is it though? History seems to suggest that what is most beneficial for a university( not students, mind you, but the university) is to be an awfully rich university with a huge endowment with a global brand that is admired throughout the world. Think Cooper Union vs Stanford or Harvard. Think about the problems Cooper Union is facing today because of the financial bind it finds itself in. It’s Distinctive culture and values will do little to pull it out of the financial mess it voluntarily put itself into.
Some students may cherish a distinctive culture but as far as the university is concerned this kind of culture does little to extend its global brand value.
I think @exacademic is right though. I think the big difference is between folks who are advocating for a strong wealthy global brand vs folks who are advocating for a unique distinctive culture. With each passing year, I think UChicago is sliding towards the former and away from the latter. Personally I’m conflicted about this. I’m not sure. I definitely don’t want Chicago to be like Yale or Harvard, but I see how being an extremely rich and prosperous university has a lot of advantages in today’s world.