How One College Decided to Invest More Responsibly

Pitzer College is not big, or old, or rich. But students and trustees alike want the liberal-arts college’s modest endowment — $135 million — to be invested in ways that align with its longtime interests in the environment and social responsibility. So the 54-year-old college took an unusual step that could be pivotal for other colleges and nonprofits with similar values: It pioneered a new global-equity-index fund that avoids stocks in fossil-fuel companies and chooses other investments based on how companies act toward employees, communities, the environment, and shareholders.