Despite being Stanford's president, Jakel wasn't all that focused on academic development—he knew how the game worked for polite society, and its unspoken rules better than anyone.

That was just how things were different here than elsewhere—money could get you into Stanford, or perhaps Harvard and MIT. If it weren't for their children's education, wealthy businessmen wouldn't be donating millions to such elite universities.

Therefore, even Jackel knew that he should be bending himself backward