Megacorps has been spending millions to buy a swath of land and infrastructure in Florida, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas and the Carolinas in a bid to expand into a swath that includes some of the nation’s most lucrative areas of labor.
The acquisition of the sprawling U.N. school, the University of the Arts, has drawn a flurry of criticism, especially after it was revealed that the school had been used by former president Bill Clinton to solicit donations to fund a 1994 sex-abuse lawsuit.
The school was closed in the mid-1990s, but its alumni donated millions to the Clinton Foundation and the Clintons were sued by former students.
The university also provides academic and medical services to more than 1 million students.
Megacorporations are among a growing number of large corporations that are using the United Nations to funnel money to their charitable causes, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.
The American Institutes for Research, for instance, used the United Nation’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs to lobby on behalf of the American Health Care Act.
The U.K. business group Aviva said in a statement that it has been working with the university for more than two decades to build a campus for the U.
Ns.
“We are pleased that this purchase will allow us to further invest in our international network and work to advance the United States as a global leader in human health and development,” said the group’s chief executive, David Cameron.
Megacorp spokeswoman Emily Schatz said in an e-mail that the university has a “long history of supporting and promoting our international students, students from around the world, and students from all backgrounds, and the campus is now an ideal site for a major international institution with the opportunity to grow and thrive.”
Megacorp has been in discussions with the University in the past year with talks that began last month, according a person familiar with the matter.
It has already purchased about 5 acres of land, said the person, who asked not to be identified because the discussions are private.
The purchase includes a 1.8-acre site adjacent to the Uppsala University campus.
The purchase of the land in Florida was first reported by Fox Business, which cited two sources with knowledge of the discussions.
The two sources said the deal is expected to be announced next week.