Stephen J. Nelson is professor of educational leadership at Bridgewater State University and Senior Scholar with the Leadership Alliance at Brown University. In this Q&A, "New England Journal of Higher Education" ("NEJHE") Executive Editor John O. Harney asks Nelson what lessons today's leaders could learn from his latest…

New England's long winter and seemingly interminable wait for spring has this author thinking about what colleges could do with their campuses during the summer. The options are almost infinite, although the cost-benefit analysis clearly varies. For some students, being on campus in the summer is preferable to going home, where the environments…

A new study of endowments by the National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO) and the Commonfund Institute has brought good news to college and universities: While endowment returns dropped precipitously in fiscal year 2009 as a result of the financial crisis and accompanying slide in equity markets, they climbed to an…

The topic of higher-education financing--particularly as it relates to the price of college and access for low-income and middle-income students--has been front-and-center with policy makers and opinion leaders and will undoubtedly remain so with the Obama administration and Congress. Recent discussion has focused on the role of university…

The demand for higher education and academic research--and the costs of providing them--has risen in recent years, and the search is on for easy answers to limit the financial burdens on families and the government. The most recent suggestion has been to require colleges and universities, especially large and prestigious ones, to spend more of…

This article presents an interview with Mary Bitterman and James Narduzzi. Mary Bitterman, former President and CEO of The James Irvine Foundation, is President of The Bernard Osher Foundation and Immediate Past Chairman of the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS). James Narduzzi is Dean of the University of Richmond's School of Continuing Studies.…

This paper, the second in a series exploring future options for public policy in the communications and information arenas, examines some of the issues underlying public broadcasting, primarily public television. It advances two reasons why quality local public television programming is scarce: funds for the original production of programming have…

Higher education institutions can break away from conventional treatment of endowment funds and manage growth by (1) careful investment with a balance of shrewd audacity and protection from economic downturns; (2) clarifying their aims for endowment management; and (3) developing a comprehensive plan of endowment growth to match institutional…

The purpose of this article is to discuss the importance of increasing fund development at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). Increasing the endowments at HBCUs means placing more emphasis on cultivating alumni and educating them about the importance of philanthropy. Advancement professionals at these specialized institutions…

The difference between cost and market value of endowment investments is significant for many colleges and universities. These investments should always be reported at market value to provide relevant, comparable, consistent, and understandable financial information. Nonmanagement users of institutional financial statements prefer market rather…

Analyzes ways in which asset allocation, investment guidelines and objectives, and investment performance may create indirect income redistribution among institutional constituents, including redistribution from future to present constituents. Comments on the implications of inflation and deflation for these aspects of endowment fund management.…

This guide is intended to assist directors and board members of foundations affiliated with public institutions as they manage investments and assets of their institution. Introductory information notes duties of foundation directors and legal criteria for prudent investing under the Uniform Prudent Investor Act. Suggestions for developing…

College investment policy concerning the mix of stocks and bonds in the endowment portfolio has been made far too complicated. Except for unusual circumstances, the equity (common stocks) percentage should be very high. Total investment in equities will generate enormous differences in endowment fund value over a long period of time. (MSE)

Some achievements made possible by the National Endowment for the Humanities are reported and the shape and future of the U.S. commitment to the humanities are discussed. It is suggested that public policy should nourish excellence and creativity while expanding access. (JMD)

Two important responsibilities of a trustee investment committee are the selection of the managers and the asset allocation of the endowment fund. Benefits from outside management include the ability to select firms that specialize in a particular segment of the market and the spreading of assets to reduce risk. (Author/MLW)