<p>sbergman, re philanthropists who decide to give money to non-Ivy schools: </p>
<p>Recently a former ambassador, cousin of President Bush, alum of two top Ivy schools, gave a large donation to Webster University (St. Louis, MO) School of Business and Technology. He said his former schools have plenty of money, it is time to beef up smaller regional schools that serve a wider population. The link below is a video, but will include links to some print versions of the story.</p>
<p>[Webster</a> University: Ambassador Walker Donates $10 Million to School](<a href=“http://www.webster.edu/news/ambassadorwalkergift.shtml]Webster”>http://www.webster.edu/news/ambassadorwalkergift.shtml)</p>
<p>Of course, Webster U. is not “the next tier” you refer to, and the immediate goal is not to turn it into an Ivy-quality school, but your suggestion jogged my memory about this story.</p>