# Wagner College Endowment

Wagner College Endowment is an Endowment / Foundation based in Staten Island, United States.

## Overview

- **Organization type:** Endowment / Foundation
- **Headquarters:** Staten Island, United States
- **Region:** North America
- **Address:** 1 Campus Road, Staten Island, NY 10301, United States
- **Founded:** 1883
- **Assets under management:** Undisclosed
- **Website:** wagner.edu
- **LinkedIn:** https://www.wagner.edu

## Regulatory record

- **Reports private funds:** No

## About

Founded in 1883 as a Lutheran seminary, Wagner College evolved into a private liberal arts college on Staten Island's Grymes Hill. The endowment exists to provide a permanent financial base for the institution's academic programs and operations. The board of trustees, historically led by figures with deep corporate and legal backgrounds, oversees the fund. Thomas Kendris, the former US Country CEO of Novartis Pharmaceuticals, now chairs that board; Hayley Wolff, a financial controller at Hedgeye Risk Management, serves as treasurer. The college maintains its affiliation with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. The endowment deploys capital across a deliberately broad mandate, spanning buyout, early-stage venture, expansion-stage, mezzanine, and secondary strategies. The portfolio is not limited to financial instruments; it also includes direct interests in campus-related real estate such as Foundation Hall, Reynolds House, and the land of the former Augustinian Academy and Cunard Estate on Grymes Hill. Fundraising efforts, including matching grants from The Staten Island Foundation, supplement the endowment's growth. The college participates in the NACUBO network, signaling its alignment with standard higher-education investment and business practices. The roughly $100.5 million pool (Altss estimate) operates without a dedicated internal investment office, its governance resting with the board's finance and investment committees. Key affiliated donors include the Picciotto family, whose Hubbard Park Real Estate business represents a co-investor relationship within the school's wider financial ecosystem. Adjacent to the endowment, specific philanthropic vehicles like The Wagner Fund, the Vanessa Picciotto Perrine Memorial Endowed Fund, and the Wagner College Holocaust Center direct capital toward targeted institutional priorities. What distinguishes the Wagner College Endowment structurally is its reliance on a board of operating executives — rather than a professional CIO — to guide a multi-asset portfolio that blends traditional LP commitments with direct ownership of college real estate. This trustee-led model places the endowment's investment posture firmly in the hands of the same individuals responsible for the college's overall governance strategy.

## Sectors

- Education

## People

- Thomas Kendris — Chair of the Board of Trustees
- Hayley Wolff — Treasurer of the Board

## Questions

### Who makes the investment decisions for the Wagner College Endowment?

The board of trustees, and specifically its finance and investment committees, governs the endowment. The current board chair is Thomas Kendris, the retired US Country CEO of Novartis Pharmaceuticals. No dedicated internal chief investment officer is publicly identified, positioning operational trustees at the center of asset allocation decisions.

### Is the endowment invested directly in real estate?

Yes. The endowment's portfolio includes direct interests in campus-area properties. These include the Reynolds House commercial property and Foundation Hall residential building on Staten Island, as well as land parcels like the former Cunard Estate and Augustinian Academy Campus on Grymes Hill.

### What is the relationship between the Wagner Fund and the endowment?

The Wagner Fund operates as a separate philanthropic vehicle supporting the college's immediate priorities, distinct from the endowment's mission to provide a permanent, long-term financial base. Other related entities include the Vanessa Picciotto Perrine Memorial Endowed Fund and the Wagner College Holocaust Center, each directing capital to specific institutional programs.

### Does the endowment disclose its AUM publicly?

No. Wagner College does not publicly disclose its endowment's exact market value. Without a formal disclosure, the fund's size is not part of its public reporting through channels like NACUBO.

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- [Lawson Foundation](https://altss.com/profile/lawson-foundation)
- [AE Advisors](https://altss.com/profile/ae-advisors)

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Last updated: 2026-06-03T20:00:00.000Z

Canonical page: https://altss.com/profile/wagner-college-endowment

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