Tuesday, December 23, 2008

The Yale Endowment


Last night I had a vivid dream in which the man from PriceWaterhouseCoopers was conducting an audit of my kitchen cupboards, and eventually broke it to me, in song, that the accrued value of all assets contained in them had declined by 25% to $17 billion.

I was naturally concerned, but then, while my director, Amy Meyers, prepared for me a soothing cup of hot gin, and her deputy, my friend Cecie Clement, was busily counting the dried apricots (just to make certain), Regina Starolis, who has worked for many years in the President’s office, popped her head out of the refrigerator and, shaking her index finger with authority, challenged the PriceWaterhouseCoopers man. She told him that there must be some mistake, because dessicated coconut has definitely retained its value.

I suppose there is some truth in that, so in the midst of financial gloom let us be grateful for small mercies.

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