According to the 2006 National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO) Endowment Survey the performance of Ithaca College’s endowment substantially exceeded the survey averages for the one, three and five year periods ending June 30, 2006.
The NACUBO survey reported on a total of 765 participating institutions across the country with an equal-weighted average rate of return of 10.7% for one year, 11.9% over three years, and 6.3% over five years. Ithaca College’s endowment realized rates of return of 14.2%, 15.0%, and 7.9% respectively. Not only did the College surpass the overall averages for one, three, and five year periods, it also exceeded the averages for institutions with endowments ranging in size from $100 to $500 million. Historically, larger endowments outperform smaller ones. Only endowments of $1 billion or more outperformed Ithaca College.
In comparing the cumulative rates of return for the 1997-2006 period, the survey showed a cumulative equal weighted average return of 76%, while Ithaca College realized a cumulative return of 85%.
The survey ranked Ithaca College 230th out of the total 765 participating institutions based on an endowment size of $203.2 million. Of particular interest is the fact that the largest number of participating institutions reported endowment sizes ranging from $100 to $500 million, yet this asset size category only accounted for 14.8% of the total endowment assets held. The 62 institutions with endowments greater than $1 billion accounted for 67.4% of the collective wealth included in the survey.
https://www.ithaca.edu/intercom/article.php/20070124134625595