Why is JMU's endowment so small relative to other VA colleges?

<p><a href="http://www.nacubo.org/Documents/research/2009_NCSE_Public_Tables_Endowment_Market_Values.pdf%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.nacubo.org/Documents/research/2009_NCSE_Public_Tables_Endowment_Market_Values.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>can anyone explain this to me, its about 40M but other VA colleges such as vtch have 500M endowments to VCU which has ~ the same amount.</p>

<p>JMU was a small state teacher’s college that was all women into the 60s. It didn’t become “James Madison University” until the late 70s. That history is quite different from UVA, VCU and VTech. JMU has re-invented itself, very successfully, since the 70s, but endowments take a long time to catch up.</p>

<p>JMU has spent a lot of money building which takes a hit on the endowment. </p>

<p>What was the point of this question?</p>

<p>Student’s analysis doesn’t seem too legitimate.</p>

<p>The bulk of the reason is (and this reason could be stemming from what cartera pointed out) that JMU is extremely undergraduate-focused. It doesn’t really have a graduate school and therefore not as much research (note: “really”). The lump sum of money always goes to large research schools and JMU has a strong focus on undergraduate education (which is good from an undergrad’s POV).</p>

<p>I agree most with what cartera45 said. It was only in the 80’s-90’s that JMU reinvented itself.</p>

<p>With the rise of its Business and ISAT programs (among many other great programs), as well as the gradual increase in student population. I can only see its endowment to continue to rise.</p>

<p>If JMU’s football program continues to improve… that would also bring national recognition (and thus, more competitive students ==> better likelihood of endowments).</p>

<p>A Law School and Medical School would really help the university out in that department as well. I wonder if those would ever be implemented.</p>