memes

Presuming of course that they absolutely weren't going to replace those microscopes without that endowment.

In many, if not most, cases there would never be room in a budget for an electron microscope at your average mid sized or small school. Keep in mind we're talking about a million+ dollar expenditure.

In many cases improvements like a building or an electron microscope absolutely hinge almost entirely on donations, that's why they are so attractive to a donor. They can make real lasting improvements to a college or university that wouldn't otherwise exist.

Even the endowed scholarships that go to assist with tuition are never as big as people think. If you have a $100,000 endowed scholarship. The school is likely only giving $4,500 of that out each year so they can grow the endowment at the same rate they give out money, thereby ensuring future students get more help.

I'll paraphrase a real world example. School X has a $100 million dollar endowment, with $65 million going to endowed scholarships, that's only ~$3 million a year for tuition relief. That same school is looking at a $45 million a year budget. Certainly they could chose to spend down their endowment and give their students 2 years of free school... And then what? Pass on the 3 million a year budget shortfall to future students?

I work in higher Ed, I agree the system is broken, but most schools endowments come no where near being able to give free tuition.