<p>NACUBO (National Association of College and University Business Officers) released its annual endowment study results on January 31, 2012. Listed below are the endowments of Fordham's designated peer and aspirant schools. (Market value of endowments as of June 30, 2011.)</p>
<p>Columbia $7,789,578,000 (+19.5%)
Notre Dame $6,259,598,000 (+19.65%)
NYU $2,827,000,000 (+19.3%)
Boston College $1,726,100,000 (+16.7%)
George Washington $1,331,101,000 (+16.4%)
Georgetown $1,160,291,000 (+14.9%)
Boston University $1,159,583,000 (+16.9%)
Syracuse $913,662,000 (+7.6%)
Santa Clara $716,821,000 (+14.7%)
Fordham $457,980,000 (+23.3%)
Villanova $370,292,000 (+24.4%)</p>
<p>Top 15 Catholic Schools
Notre Dame $6,259,598,000 (+19.65%)
Boston College $1,726,100,000 (+16.7%)
Georgetown $1,160,291,000 (+14.9%)
Saint Louis $880,251,000 (+24.3%)
Santa Clara $716,821,000 (+14.7%)
Holy Cross $606,074,000 (+15.5%)
Fordham $457,980,000 (+23.3%)
Dayton $414,504 (+19.6%)
Marquette $401,208,000 (+23.1%)
Loyola-Chicago $388,739,000 (+23.3%)
Loyola Marymount $380,982,000 (+16.8%)
Creighton $375,221,000 (+18.1%)
St. Thomas $371,938,000 (+26.5%)
Villanova $370,292,000 (+24.4%)
St. John's $359,494,000 (+18.6%)</p>
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<p>My opinion/analysis? We are on very solid ground, a very good endowment...not stellar but but solid. Better than most of the 28 Jesuit schools and many other Catholic schools. We can do better. Of course endowments are subject to the ups/downs of the markets...many endowments have switched gears to more liquid (and sometimes more volatile) investments..so they can be faster on their feet, relying less on illiquid investments like real estate trusts. Some endowments were too risky and involved in derivatives (I don't think Fordham did that....but I don't know the makeup of Fordham's investment portfolio). It requires a balance between risk/ reward. And being able to move quickly if things turn up/down. </p>
<p>It always irks me that endowment investment managers are very handsomely paid and many of them gave bad advice before the meltdown and then dissembled by saying, "nobody saw it coming." Wrong. It was like a Category 5 hurricane everyone saw coming and some just decided to hunker down and take the hit. Some not smart enough to get out of the way. </p>
<p>It is however, encouraging to see that Fordham has recovered 100% of its losses from the meltdown and is now at pre meltdown levels and poised to move up. In my opinion, Fordham needs to reach a level of 800 million before we will see appreciable success in its stated goal of being in the same category as Boston College, Georgetown and Notre Dame among leading Catholic Universities in the United States. (Source: 2016 plan which is available online at Fordham.edu. That plan gives a stated objective of being a Top25 school and raising the admitted student profile (SAT) to 1350 avg. ) I am not sure we get there, but its certainly good to give it the old college try.)</p>
<p>I am in the camp that believes some schools spend too much time obsessing about/growing endowments and some don't spend enough time/have small endowments. We need to be in the very respectable and healthy category, so that our endowment spins off enough revenues for the annual budget needs, as well as covers Fordham for crisis management/rainy day stuff. It is a significant factor in USNWR rankings.</p>
<p>Others may have different opinions.</p>
<p>:-)</p>