(01-30-2014 05:19 PM)WColt45 Wrote: (01-30-2014 05:11 PM)michaelf Wrote: (01-28-2014 07:58 PM)72Tiger Wrote: Latest figure tops $218 million. Up about 11% from last year.
Long way to go:
SMU 1.1B
Cincinnati 834k
Louisville 721k
Houston 578k
Rutgers 698k
Connecticut 302k
South Florida 312k
Temple 277k
Memphis 218k
Central Florida 121k
Source USNews
So we are less endowed than everyone else?? Figures... 9th grade gym class all over again.
I had the pleasure of being on campus at SMU some years ago when my daughter was there for a Parent-Child Prospective Student day. Not only was she wined and dined with gargantuan silver tea services and fancy food buffets during seminars, but a fully-escorted Night-on-the-Town, High Schoolers-Meet-Dallas deal. Pretty over-the-top. Seemed a lot more interested in blowing our socks off than getting to know my daughter.
But we also happened to be on campus the Saturday all the donors were invited to celebrate the completion of the billion-dollar-campaign EARLY and with MORE than a billion dollars. The smart-thinking Admissions Department invited all of us SMU hopefuls (ha!) to partake of the food in the white tents on the lawn. What impressed me were the miles and miles of Rolls and Porsches and high-end cars that I couldn't begin to tell what they were. Provincial me. The food in the miles of white tents put RC's hot dogs and popcorn at the forum to shame. Shame, I tell you.
One of the greeters extended his hand to welcome us to the party, we thought! But instead, he nearly knocked my daughter down to get to some slicked-suited little kid he proceeded to call Mr. Smythford (ImaOilBaron'sSon) Richly, VI, or some such. So much for our welcome to Dallas.
Yeah, SMU has an endowment, billion-dollar-plus, and so do schools such as Vandy, et cet. Where Memphis should be, realistically, I don't know, but I think we should rank at least in the top half of our conference. Another nice residual we can thank Shirley for.
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University Endowment
