Seems like everytime I turn around there is a something about this bill that pops up and thus brings it to the fore.
I wasn't too keen on the idea of creating a national university system either and my preference would be for them to be under the control of the Region. However, we clearly needed the institutions and thus I consented to support it on that basis. They can easily be devolved to regional administration down the road when the opportunity presents itself.
I don't know where the best location would be, though I do think it wise that the discussion is being based around boosting an economically distraught city. That is a long list of options though. I would also recommend, placing it an area that will be well serviced by infrastructure and thus comparring it to the plans that I have seen to see how close it is to the lines, may be a wise move indeed. Lastly, bringining a large amount of people into a poor town is going to create burdens previously not experienced on local infrastructure, especially crime prevention and healthcare providers. I would suggest keeping the strength of such in mind nad maybe possibly providing funding to the city to boost those services in anticipation of the higher traffic and residency in the area to be choosen.
There was a comment here by Xanas about "not needing regions competing with one another". I couldn't disagree more. Education isn't a fire and forget weapon, and both the students and environments have changed. That means the education standards, teachers, technology, curriculums and tests all have to change and adapt to meet the needs. These needs will vary by region and the more diverse experimentation, you will find successes quicker. Regions will then look at the successes and failures to determine what to do and what not to do. This process would cause differentials amongst the regiosn to vanish not only in policy, but in the results (which is what matters), and likely far quicker then experimenting with one idea at a time at the Federal level.
If there is a concern about the Feds usurping Regional authority on education, I would recommend premption. The best approach would be a to pursue an comprehensive strategy to improve the Educational system of this region. That will reduce the justification for "The fixers" in the Senate (you know who they are) to come in and "help you".
