From the latest Hedge Fund Alert: “Marquette University Endowment, which already invests more than 25% of its capital in hedge funds, has begun a manager search that could lead to another $16 million of commitments.
Chief investment officer Sean Gissal is mainly focused on equity managers at this point, and to that end has assembled a list of 20-30 hedge fund firms that fit the bill. But he hasn’t shut the door to additional candidates. Managers can either contact Gissal directly or go through the endowment’s general consultant, Prime Buchholz of Portsmouth, N.H.
The $400 million endowment completed an asset-allocation study last year that effectively boosted its hedge fund allocation to as much as 30% of overall assets. The endowment currently invests 15% of its capital in two funds of funds run by Barlow Partners and Common Sense Investment, both of New York. Another 11% is invested with two single-manager vehicles.
Gissal and his staff have spent the past 12 months or so whittling down the list of equity managers based on input from investment professionals at other institutions and their own preliminary due diligence. Milwaukee-based Marquette University Endowment has been investing in hedge funds since 2004.”
