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Resident urges Wesleyan to contribute to Middletown budget, citing $2B endowment
Summary
Bill Wilson asked the council to seek financial support from Wesleyan University, arguing the university’s endowment could support an annual contribution to the city's $211 million budget; he suggested a $1 million annual gift as an example.
Bill Wilson told the council he believes Middlesex’s Wesleyan University should provide direct financial support to the city given its large endowment, noting that other universities offer funds to their host municipalities.
"Their endowment is 2,000,000,000 plus dollars," Wilson said, and he asked whether Wesleyan could provide $1,000,000 a year to support municipal services. He framed the ask in the context of a $211,000,000 city budget and argued that the university benefits from city services and should therefore contribute.
Wilson said students and volunteers contribute to the city but that the university’s institutional resources could do more to support downtown businesses and municipal needs. There was no response from university representatives or a formal pledge recorded in the public-comment portion of the meeting.
