The power of college endowments

Make Me Smart

May 8 2024 • 30 mins

College endowment funds are at the center of student protester’s calls for their schools to divest from Israel. Charlie Eaton, a sociology professor at the University of California, Merced, and author of “Bankers in the Ivory Tower,” said the size of these funds have created a moral dilemma for the wealthiest universities. On the show today, Eaton explains how college endowments work, why most universities don’t disclose how those funds are invested, and how colleges could manage their endowments to better align with their values.

Then, we’ll check-in on the youths. And, Mallory Lewis and Lamb Chop, the puppet, answer the Make Me Smart question. Plus, a tribute to Jasper.

Here’s everything we talked about today:

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