Higher education endowments are an indispensable resource for covering escalating costs, strengthening financial resilience, supporting important campus initiatives, providing financial aid to students, and keeping higher education affordable. Because of the importance of these assets in the revenue mix, the work of college or university…

An often-volatile economy, changing demographics, and technological innovations in educational delivery are among the dramatic changes across higher education that have forced boards and institutions to question the viability of the existing business model. Flat or declining state support in real terms, lower investment returns in some years,…

This publication is part of an AGB series devoted to strengthening the role of key standing committees of governing boards. While there is no optimum committee system for institutions of higher education, certain principles, practices, and procedures prevail. The best practices included in this text support the objectives of board committees:…

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…

That college and university boards should have a policy on trustee conflict of interest is nearly universally accepted. Yet there is little consensus among institutions on just what the policy should be--and broad national consensus anytime soon is unlikely. Boards thus face a host of questions, many of which this document addresses, regarding…

Ways that college trustees can manage endowments are considered. It is suggested that endowment may be a key to survival for institutions facing serious financial difficulties. A frequently overlooked source of potential income is cash balances, which should be a concern of trustees, and one that should not be passed to professional managers. It…

Recently, colleges and universities have come face to face with the fact that the nonprofit world is engulfed in turmoil and dealing with a decline in public trust. Both the government and the public have soured toward nonprofits, and higher education is not exempt from this crisis of confidence. This article suggests that colleges and…

This booklet offers guidelines for college and university trustees for managing the institution's endowment funds as they seek to balance efforts to grow the endowment for the institution's future with the need to use these funds to supplement current budget needs. Critical policy issues are identified, such as: the endowment's purpose, maximizing…

The investment committee of the college or university governing board is charged with determining, overseeing, and assessing the policies and processes by which institutional funds are invested. The committee has fiduciary duty to ensure that the terms of investment of donors' gifts are met and to maximize investment returns within an appropriate…

This monograph presents recommendations for college and university trustees regarding endowment spending policies. The recommendations include how to set investment goals, assess the reasonableness of investments, and judge when to use endowment funds for high priority needs. A systematic method for determining how much to spend annually from…

This handbook is intended to assist governing boards of higher education institutions in using key indicators (quantitative or qualitative information that describes the condition of some aspect of the institution) to: evaluate the strategic position of their institutions, compare the institution to its peers, and monitor changes in its condition…