Maybe they felt they had to compete with the reputation of Harvard in some way. Harvard was founded by clergy.

I think if you explore the many and various myths and lies fed to people over the years to keep the poor in their place so that the upper 2-3% (wealthy) of the population could continue ever onward with their way of life, you'll find many interesting things. The British have a horrendous record in regard to their treatment of the poor and working classes, worldwide, basically attempting to enslave everyone everywhere for the sake of a few. Kind of funny the article above mentions that govts are rather silent about human rights abuses in China... silent I imagine because they are guilty of the same, although perhaps not in the past 50 years as much, perthaps just a blip in history for us there.

Check the wide discrepencies between the poor and the wealthy in England in/about 1800 for instance, and the many different deceitful means used to keep the poor poor, including even taxing them literally to death. and keep in mind that the wealth of america was largely built by the cotton industry, which fed England, which patronized plantation slavery and wage slavery in america, and that that wealth and the means of attaining it is not something any of these people have ever been willing to let go of easily. It was never achieved by truth and sympathetic equity for all, quite the opposite.