The following appeared in a proposal from the development office at Platonic University: “Because Platonic University has had difficulty in meeting its expenses over the past three years, we need to find new ways to increase revenues. We should consider following the example of Greene University, which recently renamed itself after a donor who gave it $100 million. If Platonic University were to advertise to its alumni and other wealthy people that it will rename either individual buildings or the entire university itself after the donors who give the most money, the amount of donations would undoubtedly increase.”

The following appeared in a proposal from the development office at Platonic University:

“Because Platonic University has had difficulty in meeting its expenses over the past three years, we need to find new ways to increase revenues. We should consider following the example of Greene University, which recently renamed itself after a donor who gave it $100 million. If Platonic University were to advertise to its alumni and other wealthy people that it will rename either individual buildings or the entire university itself after the donors who give the most money, the amount of donations would undoubtedly increase.”

Discuss how well reasoned you find this argument. In your discussion be sure to analyze the line of reasoning and the use of evidence in the argument. For example, you may need to consider what questionable assumptions underlie the thinking and what alternative explanations or counterexamples might weaken the conclusion. You can also discuss what sort of evidence would strengthen or refute the argument, what changes in the argument would make it more logically sound, and what, if anything, would help you better evaluate its conclusion.

The speaker has analyzed a flaw in Platon University’s expenditure management. While Greene University may have found an innovative way to increase donations, there are many reasons why it may not want to follow this example. Firstly, the naming of buildings or the entire university after donors is not a new idea. The University of Kansas has named buildings after prominent donors. However, when the names of the buildings changed, the donors continued to feel connected to the University. The donors felt they were honoring their benefactor’s memory. Perhaps the same sentiment could be evoked by naming a university after a donor. However, there are reasons why this might not be possible. For one thing, the naming of buildings or the entire university after donors could alienate potential donors. Many people do not want to associate their name with anything that might imply that they are associated with some controversial issue. Furthermore, donors could be concerned that their names might be associated with some of the less savory aspects about the university, such as incidents of discrimination, poor academic performance, or dubious practices. Naming a university after a donor might present the impression that the university is for sale to the highest bidder

Finally, the speaker argues that naming individual buildings or the entire university after donors would increase the amount of donations. However, there is no evidence that such naming would necessarily result in this outcome. The donor’s name alone would not guarantee that a person will donate. A donor who decides to donate $100 million to a university might do so because the donor believes in the mission of the university or because he or she is an alumnus. A donor might donate $100 million to a university simply because it is a prestigious institution with an excellent reputation, not because the donor was promised that the university would be named after him

The speaker has presented a flawed argument. Platon University should evaluate other ways to improve revenues.