A small consulting firm, the Registry for College and University Administrators, places retired college presidents in interim positions, usually after an administrator has left suddenly. Interim presidents have been placed at 19 institutions in seven years, mostly at small, private colleges. Almost always, the underlying mission is to lay a strong…

Comparison of data from two national surveys of colleges and universities reveals that, although private, liberal arts colleges with small endowments are realizing returns comparable to those of larger, wealthier institutions, conservatism, lack of investment expertise, and inadequate long-range investment planning are limiting their earnings…