Hollins University saw the value of its endowment grow over the past fiscal year in defiance of a declining trend overall among colleges and universities nationwide.
Hollins’ endowment rose 1.1 percent during the 2011-12 fiscal year from $152.7 million on July 1, 2011, to $154.4 million on June 30, 2012. As of December 31, 2012, Hollins’ endowment stood at $163.5 million.
The National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO) – Commonfund Study of Endowments gathered data from 831 U.S. colleges and universities and found that their endowments generated an average return of -0.3 percent for FY2012.
Hollins’ endowment has enjoyed robust gains in recent years despite the challenges presented by the country’s economic downturn in 2008. The university’s endowment ranked among the nation’s strongest in weathering the recession, and was by far the most important priority of the
Campaign for Women Who Are Going Places, the largest comprehensive fundraising campaign in Hollins’ history, which began in 2002 (when the endowment stood at $85 million) and concluded in 2010 (with the endowment valued at $145 million).
