Now that NACUBO and the Commonfund Institute have published their endowment rankings, schools are no doubt thumping their chests, while others are crying in their milk. Although nearly every cio pans the idea of the list and performance derbies, not one school would dare miss the opportunity to participate, given that alumni (particularly the check-writing kind) love this stuff. Check out how the big leagues stack up here (preview only; for full access, log in or take a trial).
As per usual, Harvard University tops the list again this year, with around $31.7 billion in endowment assets. Just how big is that? The gross domestic product of Ethiopia is about $30.5 billion. Yes, the folks on the Yard now have more moolah than the entire output of Ethiopia. We're not sure if this means bragging rights for Harvard, Ethiopia or just more fodder for the Occupy Harvard protesters to scream about.
Were you wondering who came in last place? Yes, there are 839 respondents, so that means somebody must fill out the survey with a chance at being dead last. This year's honor goes to Southern Virginia University, which has a $574,000 endowment. Insert your own Harvard investment staff compensation joke here.