The Boston College endowment exists to support the goals and operations of the University over the long term so that current and future students, faculty and staff benefit from investments. The endowment provides a permanent source of funding for such purposes as financial aid, faculty chairs, scholarly research and writing, student formation and campus maintenance.
Investment and Endowment Committee
The Investment and Endowment Committee of the Board of Trustees has fiduciary responsibility for overall investment policy, asset allocation, and the selection of professional investment managers. The University’s Chief Investment Officer and staff provide professional support to the Committee.
Investment Objective and Spending Policy
The long-term performance objective of the endowment portfolio is to attain an average annual total return that exceeds the University’s spending rate plus inflation within acceptable levels of risk over a full market cycle.
The University has a spending policy for its donor restricted endowment, as approved by the University’s Board of Trustees, that aims to provide a stable and predictable source of funding for the University’s academic and other strategic initiatives and also to protect the real value of the endowment over time. Under this policy the amount that can be expended for current operations is a weighted average based on two components: prior year spending adjusted for an inflationary factor, and 5% of a twelve quarter moving average of market values.
Manager Review and Selection
The Committee seeks to identify best-in-class professional investment managers from around the world. It particularly reviews asset allocations, performance of managers and alignment of investments with institutional mission and priorities. The Committee evaluates investment managers on an ongoing basis using a variety of quantitative and qualitative measures.
Areas of Focus
Investment philosophy & process
Risk adjusted performance relative to benchmarks/peers
Organizational structure
Code of professional conduct
Use of financial leverage
Liquidity terms, fees and other contract provisions
Operational risk control measures
Audited financial statements in accordance with GAAP
Historical Endowment Growth
Endowment growth includes investment performance, cash gifts and pledges, net of support for operations.
The Endowment has increased by $2 billion over the past 10 years.
Boston College Endowment Market Value (In Millions)
Asset Allocation
As of May 31, 2023.
Boston College Endowment Asset Allocation (Percentage)
Staff
Matthew Hanley
Investment Operations Manager
matthew.hanley@bc.edu
Robert J. Kmetzo
Senior Investment Officer
robert.kmetzo@bc.edu
David J. Martens
Managing Director of Investments
david.martens@bc.edu
Eric M. Sears
Director of Investments
eric.sears@bc.edu
Christopher Youlden
Investment Officer
christopher.youlden@bc.edu
Emory Zink
Investment Officer
emory.zink@bc.edu