Chapter 93: Dean Candidates (Seeking Subscriptions!)

Steward Luo Lun also perceived Carlos's anticipation and urgency regarding the construction of the Royal Academy of Physics and Chemistry.

After receiving the order from Carlos, Steward Luo Lun immediately began planning the school's site selection and conducting some preliminary preparatory work.

The Royal Academy of Physics and Chemistry certainly had to be built in the vicinity of Madrid, so the site selection naturally fell to the outskirts of Madrid.

The good news was that there was a place on the outskirts of Madrid where a private university had once been built, though it eventually went bankrupt. The buildings there could still be used after repairs; only a few more laboratories needed to be built to basically meet the initial usage requirements of a university.

Although Carlos held high expectations for the Royal Academy of Physics and Chemistry, he did not expect it to become a world-famous science university within the first few years of its establishment.

Carlos's expectation was that within five years, the Royal Academy of Physics and Chemistry would be able to steadily cultivate more than 500 physics and chemistry-related talents annually.

With these small accumulations, Spain would still be able to bridge a significant gap in talent reserves, at least making it less short-handed in certain research areas than it was now.

After handing over the construction of the Royal Academy of Physics and Chemistry to Steward Luo Lun, Carlos turned his attention to how to select a suitable dean for the Royal Academy of Physics and Chemistry.

Although it was an academy for physics and chemistry majors, this did not mean the dean of the academy had to be proficient in physics and chemistry knowledge.

After all, teaching knowledge was the job of the university's teachers and professors; the university president should focus more on the school's development and think about how to cultivate more talent for Carlos and Spain.

Considering that Steward Luo Lun was quite busy with affairs, Carlos handed the task of selecting candidates within Spain suitable to serve as the academy dean to Kadier.

Kadier did not fail Carlos's trust, and after a week of investigation, he submitted a specific list of candidates to Carlos.

"José Echegaray?" Carlos looked at the name on the list, seemingly having a slight impression, but unable to recall it clearly.

"Yes, Your Majesty. Mr. Echegaray was born in Madrid and has Basque ancestry. He currently works at the Madrid Academy of Exact Sciences and has published 'The Theoretical Physical Unity of Modern Matter' and 'Problems in Analytical Geometry'; his teaching ability is considered outstanding in Spain," Kadier explained.

Carlos nodded, looking at the detailed information about Echegaray.

Judging from the current investigation results, although Echegaray was of Basque descent, he was born and raised in Madrid and was more supportive of the rule of the Spanish Kingdom government.

From this point alone, Echegaray already possessed a certain advantage. Appointing him as the dean of the academy could also let the Basques understand that Carlos's attitude toward Spaniards and Basques was consistent, and that Spaniards would not exclude the existence of Basques.

As he read on, Carlos finally remembered who Echegaray was. Echegaray was quite famous in Spain; he was one of the few Nobel Prize winners in Spain and was also the first person in Spain to win a Nobel Prize.

But the problem was, in Carlos's memory, all of Spain's Nobel Prize winners had nothing to do with physics or chemistry, and Echegaray seemed to have won his award in literature.

For a talent in literature to serve as the dean of a physics and chemistry academy, was that not a bit too strange?

"José Echegaray?" Carlos asked with some surprise: "If I remember correctly, he was also the Director of Public Works during the provisional government period, right?"

"Are you sure he is suitable to serve as the dean of the Royal Academy of Physics and Chemistry?"

"Yes, Your Majesty," Kadier hurriedly explained: "Although Echegaray often writes for 'The Economist', 'Truth', and even our 'Spanish Sun', his major in university was indeed the mathematics department."

"I can only say that Mr. Echegaray's passion for literature is no less than his achievements in mathematics, but he is indeed more famous for his work in mathematics and municipal engineering to date."

Carlos nodded, which dispelled the surprise in his heart.

If Echegaray had a background in mathematics, then it was not strange for him to serve as the dean of the physics and chemistry academy. After all, subjects like mathematics were closely linked to physics and chemistry; to a certain extent, mathematics, physics, and chemistry were inseparable.

After dispelling his surprise, Carlos could not help but feel some admiration for Echegaray. To have significant achievements in mathematics, public works, and literature simultaneously—in later generations, he would at least be at the level of flourishing in both arts and sciences.

Although he did not win any major awards in mathematics, his mathematics teaching career was considered quite renowned in Spain.

And his passion for literature even earned him the Nobel Prize in Literature, which was one of the highest awards in the field of literature in later generations.

It was truly no exaggeration to praise him as flourishing in both arts and sciences. Considering that in history he also successively served in government positions such as Minister of Trade, Minister of Finance, and Minister of Public Education, Echegaray could be considered one of Spain's few all-around talents.

Looking at Echegaray, and then looking at the other candidates on the list, the gap was already apparent.

Present-day Spain did not have any top-tier talent in physics and chemistry, and those suitable to serve as the dean of the physics and chemistry academy were even rarer.

Among the many candidates, whether in terms of resume or personal ability, Echegaray was indeed the more suitable choice.

Rubbing his brow, Carlos finally made his decision: "The candidate for the dean of the Royal Academy of Physics and Chemistry is tentatively set as Echegaray; have him come to see me tomorrow."

"The construction of the academy can be completed as early as next year, and I hope the organization of the academy can also proceed as soon as possible. As it concerns Spain's key talent cultivation work, the sooner the academy is organized, the better."

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Kadier nodded and went to notify Echegaray.

Come to think of it, Echegaray's life had also undergone slight changes due to Carlos's interference.

In history, Echegaray should have been serving as a minister in the Spanish government during this period, but now, because Prime Minister Primo had not been assassinated, the Spanish government had not changed much compared to before. Aside from serving as the Director of Public Works during the provisional government, Echegaray had not been overly involved in officialdom.

Although the dean of the soon-to-be-established Royal Academy of Physics and Chemistry had no administrative rank, this did not mean its influence was low.

If he could gain Carlos's trust and complete his term as dean of the academy, there would certainly be opportunities to enter the political arena.

Moreover, the talents cultivated by the Royal Academy of Physics and Chemistry would have a better chance of entering the Royal Academy of Sciences, or even being granted a title through their own scientific research.

If that day truly came, the influence of the dean of the Royal Academy of Physics and Chemistry would increase further, and entering the political arena would become even easier.

The next morning, Echegaray arrived at the Wang Gong to request an audience with Carlos.

Carlos had just gotten up and washed under the service of a maid when he heard the report from the guards that Echegaray had been waiting for a long time.

A bit amused by Echegaray's early arrival, Carlos decided to invite Echegaray to have breakfast together and discuss the future construction of the Royal Academy of Physics and Chemistry.

When he was led by the guards to Carlos's favorite small dining room, Echegaray felt somewhat uneasy.

Although he was born and raised in Madrid and had achieved significant success in his teaching career, this was his first time being invited by the King to have breakfast together.

Not to mention having breakfast together, even meeting the King in private was a first. Although he was quite supportive of the Spanish government, Queen Isabella would never have been interested in someone involved in academics.

"Your Majesty!" The moment he saw Carlos, Echegaray performed a standard Spanish-style bow to Carlos and greeted him somewhat nervously.

"Good morning, Mr. Echegaray." Carlos nodded, signaling for Echegaray to sit down and talk.

As a supporter of the Spanish government, Echegaray was both nervous and expectant about meeting the King. After feeling Carlos's kind and approachable attitude, Echegaray's mood could not help but relax a little, and he was not as tense as before.

"Mr. Echegaray, Kadier has already told you my decision, right?" Carlos asked with a smile.

Facing talents who could be of use to him, Carlos was quite willing to show a kind attitude.

For Carlos, the status of King was his best trump card for winning over talent. When a King shows a kind and approachable attitude, not to mention those talents born in monarchical countries, even those talents who grew up bathed in republican ideals would find it impossible not to be moved.

"Mr. Kadier has already told me, Your Majesty. Serving as the dean of the Royal Academy of Physics and Chemistry is my honor. I will do my best to build the Royal Academy of Physics and Chemistry and will not fail Your Majesty's trust," Echegaray nodded and said with great gratitude and honor.

An ordinary physics and chemistry academy would not have been that attractive to Echegaray. But if the word "Royal" were added, the appeal to Echegaray would climb straight up.

Serving as the dean of the Royal Academy of Physics and Chemistry was not only a resume entry, but it could also allow Echegaray to enter Carlos's field of vision.

If he did a good job as the academy dean, there might be further possibilities in the future. Although the Spanish cabinet was appointed by the Prime Minister, and the Prime Minister was elected from the House of Representatives.

But for Carlos, who was the King of Spain, if he wanted to promote someone, it was not difficult to let them enter the political arena.

"Mr. Echegaray, do you have any plans for the construction of the Royal Academy of Physics and Chemistry?" Carlos nodded and smiled, giving his own test.

Although serving as the dean of the Royal Academy of Physics and Chemistry did not require top-tier knowledge reserves, one at least had to be proficient in the operation of an academy and know what Carlos's purpose was.

Comparing the physics and chemistry academy to a company, the dean, as the manager of the company, had to have a reasonable development plan for the entire company and satisfy the company's behind-the-scenes shareholder—Carlos's plan for the company's development.

3, 00 words, first update, seeking support!

Fifth day of 10, 00 words daily, 3, 00/10, 00 updated, seeking support!

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(End of this chapter)