Harvard Tops Nation's Schools As Most Successful Fundraiser

Harvard has come out number one in yet another national survey--this time for raising more funds than any other school in the country.

The University attracted $126.3 million during 1982-83, according to a survey released Tuesday by the New York-based Council for Financial Aid to Education. Harvard rank's more than $30 million ahead of number-two Stanford and raised more than twice as much as any other Ivy League school.

Almost all of the $126 million figure came in as donations to the $350 million Harvard Campaign, which now stands at $291.5 million with seven months left.

Harvard has snagged the top sport for the last five years, and Director of Development Thomas M. Reardon said yesterday he believes the University has been number one for at least a decade.

"Alumni at Harvard are uniquely generous and there are more of them involved in fundraising." Reardon said, adding that the Harvard Campaign involves more than 5000 alumni workers. "There's not another private institution in the world that has that kind of support," he said.

Stanford, a perennial runner-up to Harvard, drew $91.9 million altogether, despite the fact that it is not in the midst of a major capital campaign. In third place was the University of Minnesota--the only public institution in the top 10--with $62.7 million.

The other seven leaders were. Columbia, $62.1 million. Cornell, $61.6 million, MIT, $60.7 million. Yale--which has traditionally followed right behind Stanford but lagged behind last year--$60.4 million: Princeton, $58.2 million, the University of Southern California, $54.4 million; and the University of Pennsylvania, $50.9 million.

Two multi campus public university systems--the University of California, with $135.9 million and the University of Texas with $107.7 million--were delibernately left out of the top 10.

Princeton managed to hit the top 10 for the first time in several years because of a major five-year, $330 million fund drive begun in July 1981, according to Van Zandt Williams, the university's vice president for development.

"We are moving up in the ranks," Williams said, adding that the campaign has petted $208.5 million so far.

Princeton plans no major expansion from the drive, but rather will split the campaign's proceeds three ways--toward boosting is $1.25 billion endowment, on construction and improvement projects connected with its establishment of Harvard-like residential colleges, and on current use.