Stat du jour: Texas' endowment

In this moment of financial threats against universities by the White House over student protests and DEI practices, we were wondering how much the University of Texas has in the bank.

• The answer: About $20 billion.

Why it matters: University endowments are in the spotlight as Harvard defies Trump administration demands regarding hiring, admissions and college practices.

• Harvard's endowment is worth $53.2 billion — but gives the university less protection against potential federal funding cuts than such a stacked bank account might suggest.

Zoom in: Undergirded by oil and gas investments, UT's endowment was $19.7 billion as of last spring, per the latest UT System Smart Book.

• The UT System's overall endowment was $46.9 billion.

Reality check: For lots of reasons, administrators at Texas are unlikely to take the position of their Cambridge counterparts.

• For one thing, UT is a public university whose purse strings are controlled by Republican lawmakers who have aligned themselves with President Trump.