AGB Endowment Governance Workshop

Senior administrators of colleges, universities, and affiliated foundations typically have a wealth of academic, advancement, and financial management experience. Most, however, have little familiarity with fiduciary oversight and management of endowments. Similarly, institution and foundation board members bring rich professional and philanthropic experience, but even those with professional investment experience may be unfamiliar with the unique management challenges associated with higher education endowments and the expectations for members of college, university, or foundation investment committees.

This half-day workshop will address:

• The ways higher education endowments differ from other types of investments and the fiduciary and other standards applicable to the staff and board members responsible for endowment oversight
• Different management structures (committee and consultants, in-house investment office, outsourced chief investment officer)
• The role of the investment committee and the responsibilities of committee chairs, members, and staff
• The investment policy statement
• Alignment of investment strategy with the institution’s mission, needs, and priorities
• Best practices for high-performing investment committees and successful endowment management

Who should attend?

• Board members of colleges, universities, and institutionally related foundations
• College and university presidents, chief financial officers, and other senior administrators who are responsible for the oversight of the endowment or support the work of investment committees
• CEOs and other senior staff of public college and university foundations who work with investment committees
• Prospective institutional presidents or foundation CEOs who want to develop their understanding of endowment management