Endowment Returns Fail to Keep Pace with College Spending

U.S. university endowments are losing ground as returns on investment fail to keep pace with school spending needs, according to Commonfund and the National Association of College and University Business Officers.

Endowments lost on average 0.3 percent in the year ended June 30 after gaining 19.2 percent a year earlier, driven by an 11.8 percent slide in international equities, the groups said in a report released today. More than a third of the schools also reported receiving less in donations than a year earlier.