According to recent article in The Chronicle, Columbia University's Senate has issued a report critical of the amount of money the university has invested in its for-profit, online-learning venture, Fathom. In particular, the report says that Fathom should be developing content from Columbia (and its other partners Fathom head, Ann Kirschner says they are, in fact, doing this) rather than developing its own independent conent.

In 2001, Columbia invested 15 million dollars in Fathom while the company took in $700,000 in fees and sales.