<p>It’s not only academic/reputation wise. During an economic downturn it is a good idea for institutions to spend some of their not-earning-much-in-the-bank endowment on acquisitions, infrastructure improvement, and hiring (reasons vary, but they all relate to being able to buy at a discount). Couple that to big time donations ($300 million for Booth, anonymous $100 million for financial aid, $25 million for Mansueto, etc.) and I think UChicago has been on such a spree for the last few years. It shows.</p>