The Harvard Hedge Fund?

A blog post by Matthew Yglesias ’03 has sparked quite a lively debate about whether Harvard deserves its tax-exempt status...

A blog post by Matthew Yglesias ’03 has sparked quite a lively debate about whether Harvard deserves its tax-exempt status. This is all a response to a bill being debated in the Massachusetts legislature to tax college endowments exceeding $1 billion.

Yglesias, a blogger for TheAtlantic.com, starts by quoting another blogger's comparison of Harvard's endowment to "a $40 billion tax-free hedge fund with a very large marketing and PR arm called Harvard University." Comments from site visitors draw in a cornucopia of related issues: tuition, financial aid, admissions policies, the general role of elite universities in society.

You can even add your two cents if you scroll down to the bottom of the page.

Sub topics

You might also like

Reconstructing the Berlin Wall

David Leo Rice explores the strange, unseen forces shaping our world.

Making Money Funny

Matt Levine’s spunky Bloomberg column

Most popular

In Federal Court, Harvard and the Government Have Friends

A look at the amicus curiae briefs in Harvard’s funding case

Trump Administration Alleges Harvard Violated Student Civil Rights

In a court filing, the University says government has ignored procedure to “inflict pain.”

John Goldberg named Dean of Harvard Law School

A professor at HLS since 2008, he steps up from the interim role.

Explore More From Current Issue

How AI Could Be Raising Your Energy Bill

Utilities shift AI infrastructure costs onto consumers.

A Justice’s Modest Counsel

Remembering David Souter ’61, LL.B. ’66

Walter Wick’s I Spy Series

I Spy Creator Walter Wick at the Norman Rockwell Museum