Endowment growth is good

[hilltopper2000]

The Hoya is reporting today on significant growth in the university's endowment.

www.thehoya.com/news/110207/news3.cfm

This is being attributed to retaining a Chief Investment Officer to manage the endowment. Two points on this: I spoke with a senior administrator 2 full years prior to hiring the CIO about the need for GU to do this. Most other schools made similar moved 10 years before GU and we really missed out at a critical moment in our history. But, importantly, this type of return will really help fundraising for large endowment gifts. I know for a fact that the low return (and indeed loss) on the endowment during the last campaign did not help at all. If you can say to someone, give us $20 million and in a few years you'll have a center with a $30 or $35 million endowment, that can be quite a selling point. Here's to hoping this year (year 2 of the campaign) is A LOT better than last year.

[hoyatables]

Best part of the article is that Georgetown was named: "Large Endowment of the Year".

[ExcitableBoy]

hoyatables said:

Best part of the article is that Georgetown was named: "Large Endowment of the Year".

Hehe, large endowment

[RBHoya]

Dr. Kochard came and gave a guest lecture in one of my finance classes this week. Seemed to really know what he was doing and had a lot of good insight, all of which is backed up by our returns as The Hoya reports.

Hopefully his success will motivate more people to donate, knowing that their money is going to be put to good use.

[SoCalHoya]

I think people do give more often, and more generally, when they know their charitable donations are being invested efficiently and being put to good use. Just see Warren Buffet's grant to the Gates Foundation.

[hoyatables]

Very good points. Many of my friends maintain they don't give back because "it will just go to waste." Hopefully this can convince them otherwise. Of course, while a couple of hundred bucks ahead from young alumni will go a long way, a few big time multi-million dollar donations will go even longer. Too bad Bill C. is busy spending all of his money on primaries and elections.

Actually, let's hope Hillary wins. Bill will then need a place to go when Hillary has her run of the White House, and I think an escape to campus, surrounded by college girls, will be just the thing. Someone should offer Bill a permanent seat at the Tombs. In exchange, all we will ask for is the William Jefferson Clinton Convocation Center.

[vcjack]

Donors like to see progress and watching the MSB (along with the SWQ and the theater) go up is a boost to their confidence that the science building and the practice facility can be done too


Of course a mr. JTIII may have something to do with it as well

[98hoya]

vcjack said:

Donors like to see progress and watching the MSB (along with the SWQ and the theater) go up is a boost to their confidence that the science building and the practice facility can be done too


Of course a mr. JTIII may have something to do with it as well

Intresting comment. I've long believed that Boston College should cut Doug Flutie a $1m check every year. My memory of that institution is that it was a regional, blue collar, somewhat mediocre school until Flutie's miracle in Miami. Soon after that, the school became very, very popular for applicants and donors, and 20+ years later, it borders on a top 25 university. In the same vane (vain?), I can't help but think that athletic success like our basketball team had last year must heavily contribute not only to increasing the applicant pool, but also helping with our donor pool.

[hoyatables]

98hoya said:

In the same vane (vain?),

I've always thought it was "vein."

Stupid homonyms.

[Jack]

98hoya said:

Intresting comment. I've long believed that Boston College should cut Doug Flutie a $1m check every year. My memory of that institution is that it was a regional, blue collar, somewhat mediocre school until Flutie's miracle in Miami. Soon after that, the school became very, very popular for applicants and donors, and 20+ years later, it borders on a top 25 university. In the same vane (vain?), I can't help but think that athletic success like our basketball team had last year must heavily contribute not only to increasing the applicant pool, but also helping with our donor pool.

Several studies have shown that the effects of successful athletics are extremely limited in both fundraising and recruiting better students- the so-called Flutie effect is drastically overrated.

[FewFAC]

For one thing, the University needs news like this to create some momentum for actually building on what should be a great story. Missing a market runup like the one just missed could have been a once in a generation debacle had the available vehicles for managing returns in varied marketplace volatility not improved.

[StPetersburgHoya (Inactive)]

Don't stop ordering the Enzyte.

[hilltopper2000]

Glad to see this made the front page and that growth in the endowment is wisely connected to future giving and what the university can do with it.

explore.georgetown.edu/news/?ID=29015