oomis:
You are calling having both a Torah and secular education ‘the best of both worlds’. That is in-line with your hashkafa of ‘Torah u’Mada’. For us though there is only one world and that is Torah. You cannot compare someone who stays in the Beis Medrish from 7:30 am to 10:30 pm (except for meals etc) to someone who stays in the Beis Medrish from 7:30 am to 7:30 pm and then goes to university for 3 hours. It might be necessary for some people- but it is being done at the expense of the Torah.
I have been careful to distinguish between a talmid chachom and a gadol. A talmid chochom is someone who is erudite in Torah. I am sure many talmidei chachomim have come out of YU. But how many Rav Elyashiv’s and Rav Chaim’s came out? To you who believe that Torah u’Mada is the ideal for a Jew then yes, Rabbi Schachter is definitely the pinnacle of all Jews. But to those of us who believe that Torah u’Torah is the ideal, gadlus will not be found be found in someone who is described as artistic.
I am not coming to criticize YU or any other learning establishment. My point this whole time was for those who offer their own ‘pinnacle yid’ as a proof to to others that do not abide by the same hashkafos as those talmidei chachomim, they are making a mistake.
This line of reasoning was employed here a number of times. That was all I was trying to refute. Bringing a proof from what your Rabbis do is illogical because they are following different hashkafos.