"Need" is a bit ill-defined; but when you're looking at endowments it's worth remembering that a lot of them are earmarked. For example, a donor might give $5M

"Need" is a bit ill-defined; but when you're looking at endowments it's worth remembering that a lot of them are earmarked. For example, a donor might give $5M to establish a research chair; the $5M goes into the university's endowment fund but the income it earns is allocated for funding the position in question. Similarly, large amounts of money are earmarked for student financial aid. Some of the endowment proceeds go into general revenues, to be sure; but confiscating endowments wholesale would have consequences which would probably surprise you.