Well, he has his quirks for sure, but if I had his money, my daughter would be a “development case” too. Not in Varsity Blues style, but in the development-office-conducts-admissions-interview-over-lunch style.
Seriously, $31 million buys a lot of scholarships. Rather than a silly dance with development, I don’t see why these schools don’t auction off a couple of seats each year. Bidding can be restricted to those with a minimum GPA and test scores (which could be lower than the college’s numbers at large, though) - and anonymous to protect the safety of the student who wins the spot as well as. Amount of the winning bid would be published, and all money would fund the following year’s scholarships.