Penn State's endowment among the fastest-growing

Pennsylvania State University had the nation's fourth-fastest-growing endowment from 2009 through 2012, according to a ranking from Bloomberg News.

The value of Penn State's endowment climbed to $1.78 billion, from $1.23 billion, for a three-year annual average growth rate of 14.46 percent. The University of Pittsburgh ranked fifth. Its endowment averaged 13.66 percent annual growth to reach a value of $2.62 billion.

Swarthmore College and the University of Pennsylvania were also on the list, which included endowments worth at least $1 billion last year. The 10.95 percent growth rate of Swarthmore's $1.5 billion endowment ranked 14th. Penn, whose $6.76 billion endowment is the largest university endowment in the state, ranked 26th, with a 9.98 percent growth rate.

   - Harold Brubaker