Endowment Investments Earn 2.3 Percent Return in 2012, Capping Decade of Above-Market Growth

Columbia University produced a return of 2.3 percent on its endowment portfolio for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2012, placing it in the top quartile among peer endowments. This reflects the normal one-quarter lag in private equity and real asset valuations. The total value of the Columbia’s endowment as of June 30 was $7.65 billion. The University’s trailing 5- and 10-year returns—4.9 percent and 10.4 percent, respectively—are among the highest of any peer endowment. “In a year when leading endowments earned only modest returns, it is notable that Columbia’s investment managers again placed in the top quartile in our peer group,” said University President Lee C. Bollinger. “Over the past decade, our investment performance has consistently outpaced the market and continued to help Columbia compete academically with other great universities that have far larger endowments.” —by Columbia News Staff