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Fiscal Affairs
(Data as of March 2008)
St. Lawrence’s operating revenues in FY08 are expected to be $103,810,000 with net student revenue expected to be $63,171,000. Operating expenses for FY08 (including depreciation) are estimated to be $102,245,000. For FY 07, the average instructional expenditure per student was $14,077, the average total expense including all capital costs per student was $63,400, with the comprehensive fee for those able to pay set at $45,540 for that year.

The University’s endowment market value as of March 31, 2008 is $248,225,000; the Board of Trustees Investment Committee has hired SEI as advisers for the traditional marketable securities and Cambridge Associates as advisers for the alternative assets of the endowment. The target and actual asset allocation are displayed in the chart above. The underweighting in the alternative asset classes and over-weighting in cash reflect the fact that the program is not yet completely implemented. St. Lawrence’s endowment spending rate is 5.5% of a trailing 12-quarter average.

Through June 2007 the total return on investment net of fees was 19.8% putting the institution’s return in the top quartile of those reporting in the 2007 NACUBO Endowment Study. The three- and five-year returns were 13.5% and 12.6% respectively. Through February of 2008, the endowment has experienced the market downturn and has lost 3.6% for the fiscal year.

St. Lawrence employs 837 faculty and staff in full-time (731) and parttime (106) positions.

Since the late 1980s, the University has used a group of 25 peer institutions with which to benchmark a variety of factors, mostly financial. Review of “New Comparison Group” data (available through IPEDS, HEDS, AAUP, CUPA and the colleges’ public sources) helps the University with strategic and financial planning in all areas, including salaries.