> The French engineering schools which were developed immediately after the French Revolution were sui generis in the field of education. Their astonishing success caused them to become known as the grandes écoles of Paris. They included the Ecole Polytechnique, the Ecole des Ponts et Chaussées, the Ecole des Mines, and the Ecole Centrale des Arts et Manu-factures. It was these schools that set the tone and the fundamental pattern of engineering education in the United States as it is known today.
In times of surplus/peace, perhaps.
In times of competition/conflict, results are needed.