“
ENDOWMENT
PERFORMANCE
2019-20 Denison’s endowment, which has grown to more than $914 million
this year, has given the college a distinct advantage over most
other independent liberal arts institutions. This is especially true
when considering the onerous fnancial strains on higher education caused
by the current global pandemic. The cost of providing a safe and healthy
environment for living and learning has increased dramatically. And at
the same time, many families’ ability to pay for their student’s college
education diminished as a result of coronavirus.
Many good schools, especially those highly dependent on tuition dollars,
have found it increasingly difcult to deliver their students and faculty
the support they need. By contrast, with its high endowment per student,
Denison has continued to maintain and increase that support throughout
this challenging period. From research to athletics
“ Attending college
to the arts and beyond, our college continues to
can make a huge
thrive. Especially notable is Denison’s ability to
diference in a
provide crucial fnancial aid and exceptional
person’s life, but
career resources when they are needed most.
attending a place
Success breeds success, and Denison is currently like Denison can
experiencing unprecedented success in the area do something
of admissions, which is another distinction that extraordinary. ”
few colleges can claim these days. Ebony ’20
All of these achievements are clearly the direct result of your investment
in Denison’s endowment, and we all are exceedingly grateful.
The Denison endowment consists of approximately 1030 individual
endowed funds, many of which carry donor restrictions. Donor
restricted endowments generally are made so that annual income
earned by the gift can support a specifc activity such as fnancial aid
to students or to support an academic department or professorship in
perpetuity. While some endowments are restricted as to their use, others
are given without restrictions.
The endowment also holds funds designated by the Board of Trustees
to act as endowment, the income on which is used to support University
needs. However, Board designated endowment (or quasi-endowment as
it is sometimes called) is unrestricted as to purpose. The Board may vote
to spend the principal portion of quasi-endowment at any time.
Endowment and quasi-endowment funds are invested together with
University capital reserves and other smaller pools of capital in the
University’s Long Term Investment Pool (LTIP), which is managed by
the Denison Investment Ofce. For investment purposes, individual
endowment funds are treated as one pooled fund, and they own units
(or shares) in the pool, similar to a mutual fund.
