For the one-year period ending Aug. 31, 2012, the actively managed funds in Emory University's endowment reported an investment return of 5.7 percent, according to Mary Cahill, vice president for investments and chief investment officer.  

In the same one-year period, the total market value of Emory's endowment increased approximately 1.8 percent from $5.26 billion to $5.36 billion. The overall change in the endowment over any given time period is a product of multiple factors, including not only the underlying rate of return on the investment portfolio, but also the addition of gifts to the endowment and the rate of spending from the endowment.  

"Despite ongoing complexity and volatility in the macro environment, we continue to find compelling investment opportunities which are in line with our need to support the long-term mission of Emory," says Cahill.   

"Additionally, we are beginning to reap the rewards of our focus on risk management in our portfolio. The next few years will not be high-growth years so ensuring we remain focused on Emory's risk profile and liquidity needs is paramount to how we position our portfolio going forward."  

Gifts to Emory's endowment also continue to be critically important in order to advance University priorities, such as student scholarships.