In a statement declaring the doctorate invalid and withdrawing it from Ms Schavan, the faculty head Bruno Bleckmann said they had "decided by secret ballot, by 12 votes to two, with one abstention".

BBC: German minister Annette Schavan quits over 'plagiarism'

That gives it a head start in terms of faculty and facilities.

WSJ: Managing in Asia: China Eyed as Next Educational Frontier; John A. Quelch: China Europe International Business School

As the head of a richly endowed faculty at New York University, his contempt for the poverty of British universities could sound gratingly complacent.

ECONOMIST: Tony Judt | The