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Chicago's Booth School in a political prison?

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  1. #1

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    Chicago's Booth School in a political prison?

    Can anyone confirm that the new campus of the UC Booth School is on schedule to start in 2014, in what was formerly a Special Branch prison under the British rule?

    Cannot find many references to the prison online other than on Blacksmith books:

    http://www.blacksmithbooks.com/blog/?p=308

    and Zonaeuropa (linked from Pete's blog)

    http://zonaeuropa.com/20060508_2.htm

    During the period of the 1967 riots, Chinese Reform Association honorary president Choi Wei-hung was detained at the Mount Davis Concentration Camp for a year and a half. Five years ago, he wrote about his experience in Ming Pao and told us about the horror for the political prisoners imprisoned in the white house.

    During the period of riots, Choi Wei-hung was the secretary of the Chinese Reform Association. Without being interrogated, charged or judged, a black hood was placed on his head and he was shipped to the white house for detention. The horror of the white house was not about physical torture but the mental abuse.

    The camp mates called their single-person cells "tin cans". On the floor, there was one wood board that served as the bed. There was a powerful ventilator in the corner. Overhead, there was a strong light.
    Would have personally thought that the defenders of freedom (liberal academics) and all would have rejected a former political prison as its campus.

  2. #2

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    If you truly think that higher education today is anything other than a for-profit corporate business, you're fooling yourself. The "liberal" face of academia is window dressing which only exists within the patrons of the system, not by the system itself. Take a look at the guys who manage endowment funds and school "CFOs"....nearly all former Wall Street / investment bankers


  3. #3

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    True .... very very true.

    And perhaps it is very apt that the students who graduate with Booth MBAs from Hong Kong are trained in classes which have been used to vanquish evil communism.

    For once, I'd like to see this being turned into a recruitment campaign.


  4. #4

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    Quote Originally Posted by shri:
    Can anyone confirm that the new campus of the UC Booth School is on schedule to start in 2014, in what was formerly a Special Branch prison under the British rule?
    Confirmed! One of the employees of said institution is a personal friend...
    Would have personally thought that the defenders of freedom (liberal academics) and all would have rejected a former political prison as its campus.
    School .... Prison...Whats the difference
    I dont know the ins and outs of the discussions & negotiations but I think it was a great find (former status of being a prison notwithstanding). Much better than getting some site out in the sticks...oops, I mean lovely, leafy suburbs....of Tuen Mun or Yuen Long.
    MovingIn07 likes this.

  5. #5

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    Quote Originally Posted by shri:


    Would have personally thought that the defenders of freedom (liberal academics) and all would have rejected a former political prison as its campus.
    I would have thought free thinkers would know that land is land is land and what it used to be is irrelevant (or are you going to lecture on Chinese ghost stories too now?)!

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    HC - Today's newspaper says that the temp campus will be in Cyberport, when they open in 2014.

    Figure extensive work needs to be done on the permanent location - I guess some of it for removing stains off the walls.


  7. #7

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    Takes a while to remove stains...

    The school expects to pay at least $30m to remodel the site, which Prof Kumar hopes will be open for business in 2016. The class that began its 21-month EMBA programme in 2013 in Singapore will finish their programme on that campus, but the 2014 cohort will enrol in Hong Kong and be taught in temporary accommodation until the new campus is ready.
    Link: Chicago Booth to move Executive MBA from Singapore to Hong Kong

  8. #8

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    Claire - thanks. Had thought they were starting in 2014 at the new campus.


  9. #9

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    Quote Originally Posted by shri:
    Claire - thanks. Had thought they were starting in 2014 at the new campus.
    They only had the site allocated to them in July. Must need a fair bit of work, and several coats of paint.

    http://www.news.gov.hk/en/categories...1_094448.shtml