Good governance is an important element of successful endowment management.
It is critical to remain focused on the oversight and management of the college's largest asset. Wellesley maintains a policy of stewardship and oversight of all the college’s assets, especially cognizant of the contributions the endowment makes to the college's annual operating budget.
The 11-member Investment Committee of the Wellesley Board of Trustees provides oversight and assumes the fiduciary responsibility of investing the college’s assets. The committee is responsible for setting strategic direction for the endowment and other college assets. It also approves the operating budget and annual goals for the Investment Office and monitors the Investment Office's results to help ensure that objectives are met.
The Subcommittee on Investment Responsibility (SIR) is comprised of trustees, students, faculty and staff. The SIR determines the College's proxy voting policy, votes any proxy proposals not covered by the policy and evaluates requests from the College community for endowment-related actions on social and environmental issues.
The Investment Office staff is the team that oversees the Wellesley portfolio. The chief investment officer leads the team in the annual asset allocation study, portfolio structure and positioning, as well as sourcing, selecting, and monitoring each investment.