Lynne Munson, adjunct research fellow with the Center for College Affordability and Productivity, is working on a book on the matter of college endowments and the tendency for administrators to horde the money. She has written a provocative piece published today at Inside Higher Ed.

Munson points out that the universities with the greatest endowments tend to spend a very small percentage of their earnings and contends that we should consider tax law changes to require more spending. I despise the idea of the government dictating to private institutions what to do with their resources, but this idea is worth exploring.