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<p>Well, I’d imagine they need fewer lawnmowers than most other universities, at least on the main campus. </p>
<p>But then they also have the 157-acre Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory campus in Palisades, NY, on a bluff overlooking the Hudson 18 miles north of NYC. And the Columbia University Medical Center campus, around 165th St. up in Washington Heights. This is all incredibly valuable real estate, and I’d imagine operations and maintenance costs on those buildings are not cheap. Not to mention the cost of a huge security force employed by the university to patrol not only buildings and grounds on the campus proper, but the surrounding residential neighborhoods, substantial portions of which are owned and operated by Columbia. I believe I read somewhere they’re the largest residential landlord in NYC.</p>