Blackburn University Endowment

Ultimate fiduciary authority rests with the Board of Trustees, chaired by Paul Tepikian. Day-to-day oversight falls to the President — currently Larry K. Lee, appointed in May 2024 — and the college's senior financial administration. Blackburn has not disclosed a dedicated chief investment officer or outsourced investment office arrangement, consistent with the endowment's small scale and operational focus.

As one of fewer than ten federally recognized work colleges, Blackburn requires all resident students to hold campus jobs, with wages defraying roughly $10,000 of annual tuition. The endowment directly funds some of these work positions and the infrastructure supporting them. The pool takes a conservative posture — it must produce reliable distributions to support the work program, not maximize long-horizon appreciation.

Yes. Beyond traditional financial holdings, the endowment's asset base includes the Blackburn Solar Array, an 80-acre commercial solar installation in Carlinville that generates electricity and revenue. It also holds the Rock's Patch land parcel. Whether the main campus itself is legally titled inside the endowment entity or the operating college is not clear from public records, but the assets are managed holistically.

Blackburn does not publish an asset allocation statement. Given the institution's enrollment of roughly 400 students and its heavy reliance on tuition and work-program cost offsets, the pool is likely weighted toward fixed income, public equities, and direct real assets. There is no public evidence of allocations to private equity, venture capital, or hedge funds.

Blackburn College maintains its historical affiliation with the Presbyterian Church (USA). The church does not exercise direct control over the endowment, but the relationship is sufficient for Blackburn to be listed among the church's affiliated educational institutions. There is no indication the affiliation imposes investment restrictions on the endowment pool.