In the long history of higher education, there have been many endowment gifts that have strengthened institutions and brought about profound public benefits, but there are sometimes disappointment and controversy. Savvy donors need to think carefully before entering into endowment agreements which are difficult to change before death and virtually…

The "2022 NACUBO-TIAA Study of Endowments" (NTSE) provides the most comprehensive analysis of endowment investment returns, asset allocations, and governance policies and practices at hundreds of U.S. higher education institutions and affiliated foundations. The report provides extensive data to help institutions evaluate their…

Public funding to higher education has declined over the years and many states have experimented with policies to encourage private sector donations to public universities. Building on research that examines the intersection of state policy and philanthropy, we examine the influence of a state policy on endowment gifts to the University of Wyoming…

As the calls for responsible investing grow, universities will be asked about their endowments' investment policies regarding impact investing, wherein endowments seek opportunities that provide investment returns and social impact. A common concern for the investment committees, however, is how to incorporate impact investments without…

The NACUBO-Commonfund Study of Endowments (NCSE) for fiscal year 2023 marks the 50th consecutive year that NACUBO has published a Study of the endowments of institutions of higher learning. It would not be an overstatement to say that the Study chronicled five decades of unparalleled change. The investment industry and endowment management have…

This paper uses critical archival analysis, paired with textual analysis of grant descriptions, to understand how nine foundations -- all with endowments derived from the student loan industry -- have motivated their college completion work and the relationship between these commitments and grantmaking over time (2000-2019). Mobilizing concepts of…

To accelerate scientific progress by advancing the spread of open access and free and open source software and hardware in academia, this study surveyed university professors in Canada to determine their willingness accept "open source (OS) endowed chair professorships." To obtain such an "open source endowed chair," in…

The number of colleges and universities facing financial difficulty is rising rapidly, and the pressures upon these institutions will be exacerbated by the arrival of the "demographic cliff " (18 years out from the fall in birth rates during the 2008/09 economic downturn) in 2026/27. The Forbes annual financial ranking of academic…

The "2021 NACUBO-TIAA Study of Endowments" (NTSE) provides the most comprehensive analysis of endowment investment returns, asset allocations, and governance policies and practices at hundreds of U.S. higher education institutions and affiliated foundations. The report provides extensive data to help institutions evaluate their…

Affirmative action, a practice used since the 1960s to edge toward equity and address historical and ongoing injustice through higher education attainment, was struck down last month by the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS). The immediate and longer term direct and indirect impacts of this ruling are vast and, in some cases, murky. In…

Although endowments at two-year colleges cannot compare to similar funding at a typical powerhouse university, community college endowments have grown an average of 76 percent over the past 20 years, according to the Center for Community College Advancement at the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE). Foundation creation among…

The "2020 NACUBO-TIAA Study of Endowments" provides the most comprehensive analysis of endowment investment returns, asset allocations, and governance policies and practices at hundreds of U.S. higher education institutions and affiliated foundations. The report provides extensive data to help institutions evaluate their investment…

In this research, we explore responsible investing in Canadian Universities. Interviews were conducted with 31 universities that were identified as having endowments or pension portfolios greater than $50M. We also reviewed publicly available data for these institutions. Universities reported facing numerous barriers but perhaps most noteworthy…

When the Carnegie Foundation was established in 1905, universities in Canada and Newfoundland were eligible for grants, on strict conditions that were seen by some as "colonial," "continentalist," or "imperial" intrusions on autonomy; for example, a Carnegie plan to create a federation of Maritime universities. This…

There is social and collaborative value in a diverse student body, faculty, and staff. Despite this, universities are slow to establish evidence-based fiscal initiatives to increase representation and retention. We review inequitable financial practices in American higher education, including in endowments, tuition and annual giving, athletics,…