The 1996 National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO) study of 472 colleges' endowment fund performance found an equal-weighted mean return of 17.2%, with private institutions faring slightly better than public institutions. Data are presented on investment pool asset allocations, investment pool nominal returns,…

A rapidly developing innovation culture in higher education heightens the importance of policies regarding intellectual property rights. Irish universities are beginning to develop such policies, using examples from the United States. (SK)

Describes the Student Endowment Investment Fund (SEIF), a project to give high school students at Dominican High School in Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin practical money-management opportunities and to help stimulate their interest in learning about other financial skills. Notes that the objective of the fund is to provide an educational investment…

Technical and vocational education and training was a central tool of international cooperation in economic development from the 1950s to the 1980s. Recent changes have shifted the focus to skills development, with a broader conceptualization of skills, the need for responsiveness to globalization, and new models of international development…

Discusses how private-equity funds are pouring millions of dollars into higher-education companies, and that college endowments are among the investors. (EV)

Through 1987, 10 percent of foreign investment was in nonmetro counties; 44 percent of this was in the South; and 38 percent of nonmetro foreign investment created new jobs (versus 17 percent in metro areas). Foreign investors chose nonmetro areas with low wages, lack of unionization history, good transportation access, and government incentives.…

While some universities have had success establishing venture funds to market research with commercial potential, Cornell University has formed an alumni panel to evaluate new university technologies for those with promise for new products, spin-off companies, and profits. Members with connections in venture capital will arrange financing and…

Four steps to retirement planning, intended to demystify retirement investment, are offered for college faculty: (1) establish diversification goals; (2) urge their institutions to offer more investment options; (3) coordinate retirement investments with other investments; and (4) take steps to guarantee against inflation. Typical age-related…

This report details results of a 1991 survey of 396 colleges and universities concerning aggregate investment base ($64.5 billion), spending rates, purchasing power, asset allocation, and performance measures. A table lists the institutions, their endowment assets, and their life income fund assets. (DB)

The article analyzes the performance of endowment investment pools based on survey results from 367 colleges and universities. Analysis considers wealth concentration, purchasing power, spending rates, asset allocation, and financial performance. A ranked listing of the institutions reports on endowment assets and life income fund assets as of…

As universities become more like businesses, they risk squandering the academic loyalty and public support on which they depend. College and university officials must not be seduced by the spectacular investment returns of the past decade as they put their assets at risk in the pursuit of profit. (Author/MSE)

Andreassen and Berman suggest that more investment in the nation's infrastructure would result in new jobs in construction-related industries, although the impact on total employment would not be large. Pfleeger and Wallace examine industry and occupational employment alternatives for the health care field. (JOW)

Current Population Survey data were used to assess the quality of service sector jobs in rural areas and compare them to manufacturing jobs. Results showed that community investment to attract service jobs should be at an appropriate level relative to job quality and be made with an understanding of the risks. (SK)

Using the example of France, Bishop recommends a U.S. training mandate involving a training tax and incentives. Lynch argues that a broader array of options is needed to meet the training needs of new workers, displaced workers, and the unemployed. (SK)

A discussion of alternative investments for colleges and universities looks at the kinds of investments that comprise this group, rationales for making such investments, the advantages of diversification, risk issues, and ways to reduce risk, including careful selection of managers. Several strategies for getting started in alternative investments…