MAY 12, 2025 | PIONLINE.COM | $16 AN ISSUE / $350 A YEAR
FACE TO FACE
BUILDING ON A LEGACY Helming a $163 billion pension fund, Wisconsin’s Edwin Denson is upping alts, looking to develop the next generation of leaders PAGE 12
Photo by Sharon Vanorny
Endowments and Foundations Special Report
Positioned to weather market uncertainty Insurance asset managers are confident their portfolios are ready for any storms PAGE 16
Taking hits from all sides, endowments may be forced to embrace more risk B y CARYL ANNE FRANCIA Tariffs that sent markets into turmoil and were later postponed may be among the top concerns of asset owners — but for university and college endowments, there’s more contributing to the broader climate of uncertainty. Higher education institutions have also been facing proposed tax policies and federal funding cuts, prompting some of their leaders to be vocal and fight back.
SOUND BITE AMERICAN BENEFITS COUNCIL’S LYNN DUDLEY:
“People will get less. I fear far fewer services.” Page 2
On center stage at the moment, Harvard University President Alan Garber announced that the Cambridge, Mass.-based institution won’t give into demands from the Trump administration — which include the termination of diversity programs, discipline regarding campus protests and increased oversight from the federal government. The Trump administration — which threatened to withhold nearly $9 billion in funding if Harvard didn’t comply — has froSEE ENDOWMENTS ON PAGE 27
Best Places to Work
Private equity is in the hot seat
Register now for P&I’s 2025 Best Places to Work program. Page 2
Pension funds are turning up the heat on less-than-stellar behavior. Page 3