Should Yale Name a College After David Swensen? Yes

There is a largely fact-free piece in the WSJ today about efforts to have a college named after super-successful Yale fund manager David Swensen. In case you have somehow missed it, Swensen has been among the most successful fund managers in the world over the last two decades, turning Yale’s endowment from $1.2-billion to $22-billion.

So, should he now have a college named after him? That seems like a fairly obvious idea, given that he will have more of an impact on Yale than any alumni in the recent past or (likely) future. But there is apparently some controversy about naming a college after a money guy — as opposed to an artist, dead president, etc.

My take? If Yale colleges are going to be named after people who have had an impact, then Swensen should get pride of place. Hands down.

Related posts:

1. Profile of Yale’s David Swensen: Money Man on a Mission
2. Work for Dave Swensen at Yale
3. David Swensen vs. Jim Cramer
4. Mohamed El-Erian: The Guy Who Isn’t David Swensen
5. Harvard vs. Yale in the Endowment Wars