Cooper Union's Investments - NYTimes.com There is a pivotal piece of information not mentioned in "How Errors in Investing Cost a College Its Legacy," by James B. Stewart (Common Sense column, May 11), about Cooper Union. The column suggests that if we had sold our Chrysler Building holdings in 2006, we might have received as much as $1.8 billion (the amount Tishman Speyer Properties received for 666 Fifth Avenue). True, this less iconic building hardly compares to the landmark Chrysler Building, but it is a flawed comparison. We "own" the Chrysler Building subject to a long-term ground lease, which offers no control of the building and its potential income. Retaining our Chrysler holdings provides an outstanding revenue stream that the market can't begin to match: revenue of $28 million a year, rising to as much as $55 million in 2018. While our returns for all endowment assets consistently beat industry standards, our conservative strategy also guarded against a financial market meltdown, which would have eroded our ability to draw down money needed to pay our bills. The column does say that "Cooper Union did a good job managing its endowment through the recent financial crisis." We can agree on that. The writer is chairman of the board of trustees of Cooper Union.