Sustainable Endowments Institute releases survey of shareholder practices in higher Ed

The Sustainable Endowments Institute has released a survey of shareholder practices in higher education that targeted the 331 largest college and university endowments and included all schools with $100 million or more in endowment assets. The survey looked at proxy voting, transparency of endowment holdings, and related policy questions. Key findings about shareholder practices at the 216 colleges and universities who responded to the survey (65 per cent)include: two-thirds of the colleges and universities do not disclose university endowment investments; nearly three-quarters of colleges and universities keep proxy voting records private; only 5 percent of schools include students in proxy voting decision making; and almost half of the schools would be open to giving students and others a voice in proxy voting.

For further information, visit the web sites: www.endowmentinstitute.org/survey.html, www.usatoday.com/news/education/2006-05-29-college-invest_x.htm, www.socialfunds.com/news/article.cgi/2020.html