Does it matter? Either you believe that they are giving away "enough" of their money, or you don't. If it's "don't" then it's unlikely that lack of a relationship will sway you, and if you do, then you'd want the argument to come from someone with intimate relationships to Yale (as you could then argue from authority).
More interesting IMO, is the question of whether or not great professors can scale, and whether online can do it. Or whether the real value add for "elite" universities is their quality of education, and whether great professors are required for it.
My beliefs (totally unfounded), is that yes, "great" professors _can_ scale, because the mark of the "great" professor would be their ability to explain things in lecture.
This of course, ignores any personal attention you can glean, but for most undergrad courses you're not getting much of that anyways.
More interesting IMO, is the question of whether or not great professors can scale, and whether online can do it. Or whether the real value add for "elite" universities is their quality of education, and whether great professors are required for it.
My beliefs (totally unfounded), is that yes, "great" professors _can_ scale, because the mark of the "great" professor would be their ability to explain things in lecture. This of course, ignores any personal attention you can glean, but for most undergrad courses you're not getting much of that anyways.