University Exceeds $2.1B Campaign Goal

NEW YORK--Harvard's capital campaign has raised $2.325 billion--three months before its scheduled end and $225 million in excess of the goal the University set for itself more than five years ago. But the University plans to continue fundraising in campaign mode until its slated conclusion on Dec. 31.

Before a gathering of 150 donors and administrators at the Harvard Club of New York, Campaign Chair Robert G. Stone Jr. '45 announced the latest fundraising totals, declaring the drive to raise $2.1 billion over five years "an extraordinary success."

Harvard President Neil L. Rudenstine thanked the Committee on University Resources--the group of donors and campaign volunteers present--for their efforts in helping Harvard to raise an unprecedented amount of money.

"It's a goal greater than any other institution of higher learning in the history of the human race," Rudenstine said.

Every one of Harvard's nine schools has surpassed its individual campaign goal, with the slowest to do so--the Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS)--coming up with over $1 billion and outpacing its initial goal by $53 million dollars with months still remaining in the campaign effort.

Despite the success of each individual school, however, several significant areas of the University continue to lag behind the expectations set by Harvard planners when the campaign began.

The University Fund remains $64 million behind its goal of $265 million.

The fund provides the president with discretionary money used for various academic projects, in particular those involving multiple Harvard schools, and for some graduate student aid. Rudenstine has been reluctant to put his own needs on par with those of the rest of the University and has not marketed the fund as heavily as other areas.

"The focus was getting the schools funded first," said Elizabeth "Beppie" C. Huidekoper, vice president for finance. Now that the schools have surpassed their goals, Provost Harvey V. Fineberg '67 and others will pick up the slack.

The University has only raised about $35 million of the $90 million needed to construct the Knafel Center for Government and International Studies--most of which was donated by Sidney R. Knafel '52. FAS is still pushing ahead with construction plans.

Similarly, Harvard has only raised 88 percent of its goal for its libraries, yet the University is proceeding with a $52 million renovation of Widener Library all the same.

"People don't seem to give money to libraries," Rudenstine told The Crimson. "Maybe by the end of three years, we'll have raised all the money for it."

Endowed professorships, each costing $3.5 million, are only 66 percent completed. FAS, which seeks 40 new endowed chairs, has only been able to raise funds for 25 of them.

"It is an area where it requires a certain amount of education as to why additional faculty are crucial to the University," said Leah R. McIntosh, director of development planning.

And Harvard's $200 million science initiatives lack the appeal of other campaign projects and have proved difficult to get on track, largely because "people tend to give to people," as William H. Boardman Jr., associate vice president for development, puts it.

The campaign total has nonetheless topped the University's target due to unanticipated success in other areas of the campaign that made up the difference--and unsolicited gifts that were not part of the original wish list.

"You also can [receive gifts] which are marvelous, although not quite directly planned," said FAS Dean Jeremy R. Knowles. For example, Knowles said the Davis family chose to endow the Davis Center for Russian Studies because it was a subject they felt passionate about.

Seventy-five percent of the campaign total has come from gifts of over $1million. The largest gift received--$72 million from John F. Loeb--was one of 40 eight-figure gifts raked in by the University, two more than it expected to raise. More strikingly, Harvard came up with more than 100 extra contributions of between $1 and $5 million, yielding almost all of the surplus fundraising.

Those large gifts, however, came from fewer than 500 donors. The campaign as a whole managed to collect money from 172,000 individuals, most of whom came from Harvard's worldwide alumni pool of 240,000.

"The bar has gone way up," said Campaign Chair Rita E. Hauser, who has contributed about $30 million. "Before this, if someone gave a million, it was considered a huge gift."

The campaign's progress has not been steady over the past five years.

Within the last year or two it shot toward its goal, increasing $300 million in the last six months.

"It takes time to build on momentum," Rudenstine explained.

Some of Harvard's schools, however, have been finished with their individual campaigns for several years.

The Law School--which began before the rest of the University--surpassed its goal of $150 million in 1995.

The School of Public Health received a $20 million boost early in its campaign and managed to reach its goal of $125 million two and a half years ago. It has now raised $180 million. The Countess Albina du Boisrouvray, an honorary campaign co-chair for SPH, gave the $20 million to establish the Francois-Xavier Bagnoud Center for Health and Human Rights.

"We've actively continued fundraising in a campaign mode," said Kristine C. Laping, assistant dean for development at the SPH.

Despite yesterday's announcement, Rudenstine said he hopes to see increases in all areas by December.

"It is a remarkable achievement, and it's not over yet," he said.