June 2, 2006

Many Small Private Colleges Thrive With Modest Endowments

By RICHARD EKMAN

With all academe's interest in endowment growth, we may sometimes lose sight of the fact that a college's purpose is not to acquire wealth but to educate students. Isn't that what public colleges do best? Actually, no. It's what small private colleges do best, by operating with a focus and efficiency that make the most of even fairly small endowments. And that's something we should keep in mind if we want public spending on higher education to help create the most educational opportunity,

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