Fund Raising

We'll be back in Maine this weekend for Parents' Weekend at Bowdoin. Two weeks ago it was Parents' Weekend at Union. It's always a hoot to experience the various appeals to contribute to endowment drives from colleges to which we're already paying many thousands a year. You'd think they would at least have the decency to wait until after graduation. And why the parents of students? Are we that grateful to them for accepting our children?

It must be about the rankings. The two colleges together have well more than $1 billion (which would fund the entire State of Maine's operating budget for nearly half a year) so they really don't need more. Or do they? They're always building something, of course. Maybe the real goal is to cover every inch of campus with something, impressing US NEWS and alumni alike.

So it was kind of refreshing to see the Calvin College fund raising banners earlier this month. Better than Much Higher Rankings: Stocks and Bond Increasing Our Position.