Capital Campaign Enters Final Year

Every day, Harvard steps $1 million closer to the end of its $2.1 billion Capital Campaign.

But although the University stands 87 percent of the way toward finishing and was $180 million ahead of schedule as of April 30, it only raised about 7 percent of the total in the last year, and the campaign's success is uneven: certain schools and programs have done phenomenally well, while others lag far behind.

Set to finish next June, administrators are turning their attention to those falling behind, and while they say not every 1993 goal will be met, the campaign as a whole will exceed its goal.

Falling Behind

Initiatives to benefit Harvard's libraries and facilities have both been identified as lagging behind expectations. The library and facilities funds are at 44 and 57 percent of their goals, respectively.

William H. Boardman Jr., associate director of development for capital giving, accounts for these deviations from the successful norm by saying that some areas are inherently more attractive to donors than others.

Financial aid and funds destined for specific purposes usually lure donors more readily than giving to facilities or general renovation, he says.

The drive to create 40 new professorships in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS) has also failed to meet its goal, standing at 51 percent of its goal. Funding for only 19 has been raised, and at the hefty price tag of $3.5 million each, the University is fighting an uphill battle.

The President's University Fund--a $235 million venture to raise money for University-wide professorships, project ADAPTand cross-disciplinary projects such as theinterfaculty initiatives--has only reached the 59percent mark, largely because it received littleattention from fundraisers until this year.

Both Boardman and Vice President for AlumniAffairs and Development Thomas M. Reardon say itis unlikely that Harvard will meet all goalsdetermined in 1993 at the outset of the campaign.But, they hasten to add, campaigns rarely do.

Top Priorities

Neglected until this point, these lagging areasof the campaign are now "priority objectives," andHarvard officials are pledging whatever support isneeded to bring these areas up to speed.

"What we're doing now is very, very explicitlyfocusing on those areas," Rudenstine says, "andletting those needs be known much more in a targetway and making people aware of them."

Rudenstine says the emphasis is producingresults, in the area of libraries, for instance.

Earlier this year, even with the library fundlagging behind almost all others, Harvard proposedto renovate Widener Library at an estimated costof $20 million dollars.

"A year ago, we were quite worried about thelibrary," Rudenstine said. "But ever since westarted telling people this is really important,we've had some good responses"--including a $17million gift from Kathryn B. Loker.

Meanwhile, one of Fineberg's pet projects hangsin the lurch, the inter-faculty initiatives of theUniversity Fund.

But "Harvey Fineberg has taken this as hisgoal," says one Mass. Hall source, who addsFineberg will personally step in during this finalphase of the campaign to raise money for thelagging areas, including his cause.

The Rich and the Poor

Most of Harvard's schools are at or ahead ofthe campaign's progress as a whole.

FAS and Harvard Business School are keepingpace, having met 86 and 89 percent of their goals,respectively.

Meanwhile, the Divinity School and the GraduateSchool of Education--neither of which tend toproduce wealthy alums--lag behind the campaign asa whole at 76 and 83 percent of their goals,respectively.

The Law School met its goal in 1995 and hassince surpassed it by 21 percent.

Similarly, the Medical School, at 102 percent;the Kennedy School, at 103 percent, and the Schoolof Public Health (SPH), at 107 percent, havefinished and are adding gravy to their successes.

Like the schools of education and design, SPHhas traditionally been one of the least successfulschools for lack of wealthy alums, but thepopularity of the subjects studied at SPH, such asAIDS and children's issues, are luring Harvardalums from other schools.

"The basic advantage public health had was theissues it was working with," Fineberg says.

The Need

President Neil L. Rudenstine has said that FASwill make changes next fall to its evaluation ofstudent need during the financial aid process,changes that will probably cost millions.

These proposed changes make the FAS campaignall the more crucial. Harvard has long-pledged tomeet all demonstrated need, however, so gifts tofinancial aid essentially go to free unrestrictedgifts--those without explicit purposes binding theUniversity--to meet other FAS needs.

Development Communications Director AndyTiedeman cautions that the "need-blind" policycould become "too expensive for Harvard tomaintain," and says the push for funds is criticalfor the policy's long-run survival.

As the largely successful campaign enters itsfinal year, administrators say they remainconcerned that they will not meet all of theirgoals, but they are not giving up.

"I'm concerned," Rudenstine says. "[But] if wedon't make it at the end of the campaign, we'llkeep going."CrimsonSamantha A. GoldsteinENTERING THE HOME STRETCH: WILLIAM H.BOARDMAN Jr. says appeals for specific programsare the most successful with donors.

Both Boardman and Vice President for AlumniAffairs and Development Thomas M. Reardon say itis unlikely that Harvard will meet all goalsdetermined in 1993 at the outset of the campaign.But, they hasten to add, campaigns rarely do.

Top Priorities

Neglected until this point, these lagging areasof the campaign are now "priority objectives," andHarvard officials are pledging whatever support isneeded to bring these areas up to speed.

"What we're doing now is very, very explicitlyfocusing on those areas," Rudenstine says, "andletting those needs be known much more in a targetway and making people aware of them."

Rudenstine says the emphasis is producingresults, in the area of libraries, for instance.

Earlier this year, even with the library fundlagging behind almost all others, Harvard proposedto renovate Widener Library at an estimated costof $20 million dollars.

"A year ago, we were quite worried about thelibrary," Rudenstine said. "But ever since westarted telling people this is really important,we've had some good responses"--including a $17million gift from Kathryn B. Loker.

Meanwhile, one of Fineberg's pet projects hangsin the lurch, the inter-faculty initiatives of theUniversity Fund.

But "Harvey Fineberg has taken this as hisgoal," says one Mass. Hall source, who addsFineberg will personally step in during this finalphase of the campaign to raise money for thelagging areas, including his cause.

The Rich and the Poor

Most of Harvard's schools are at or ahead ofthe campaign's progress as a whole.

FAS and Harvard Business School are keepingpace, having met 86 and 89 percent of their goals,respectively.

Meanwhile, the Divinity School and the GraduateSchool of Education--neither of which tend toproduce wealthy alums--lag behind the campaign asa whole at 76 and 83 percent of their goals,respectively.

The Law School met its goal in 1995 and hassince surpassed it by 21 percent.

Similarly, the Medical School, at 102 percent;the Kennedy School, at 103 percent, and the Schoolof Public Health (SPH), at 107 percent, havefinished and are adding gravy to their successes.

Like the schools of education and design, SPHhas traditionally been one of the least successfulschools for lack of wealthy alums, but thepopularity of the subjects studied at SPH, such asAIDS and children's issues, are luring Harvardalums from other schools.

"The basic advantage public health had was theissues it was working with," Fineberg says.

The Need

President Neil L. Rudenstine has said that FASwill make changes next fall to its evaluation ofstudent need during the financial aid process,changes that will probably cost millions.

These proposed changes make the FAS campaignall the more crucial. Harvard has long-pledged tomeet all demonstrated need, however, so gifts tofinancial aid essentially go to free unrestrictedgifts--those without explicit purposes binding theUniversity--to meet other FAS needs.

Development Communications Director AndyTiedeman cautions that the "need-blind" policycould become "too expensive for Harvard tomaintain," and says the push for funds is criticalfor the policy's long-run survival.

As the largely successful campaign enters itsfinal year, administrators say they remainconcerned that they will not meet all of theirgoals, but they are not giving up.

"I'm concerned," Rudenstine says. "[But] if wedon't make it at the end of the campaign, we'llkeep going."CrimsonSamantha A. GoldsteinENTERING THE HOME STRETCH: WILLIAM H.BOARDMAN Jr. says appeals for specific programsare the most successful with donors.