Investing the Endowment
By policy, the endowment must be invested in order to achieve the goals set forth by the donors or to meet other University aims, while maximizing long-term gains to meet or exceed the endowment’s annual payout. The University's Investment Office, guided by the SCU Investment Policy Statement and overseen by the Board of Trustees Investment Committee and the vice president of finance and administration, chooses dozens of external investment managers to help SCU achieve the growth it will need to support its mission now and for generations to come.
Strong Growth
The SCU endowment has historically experienced strong growth and investment returns, growing an average of 9.6% a year over the last 10 years—the top quartile return among colleges and universities with $1 billion+ endowments in the United States. From $755 million 10 years ago, the endowment reached over $1.50 billion in fiscal 2024. This growth enabled the endowment to contribute nearly $400 million to the university over that 10-year period.
A Need to Keep Pace With Enrollment Growth
While the size of SCU’s endowment has grown exceptionally, the needs of our University are larger—due to factors like rising enrollment, our mission to serve more socioeconomically diverse students, and the need to support educational, research, technology, recruitment and other campus-wide imperatives.
This is a strong indicator that we must continue to grow and manage our endowment with great care, to ensure that future generations of Broncos receive the same excellent quality education as do our currently enrolled students. This is the primary goal of the Investment Office.