Campaign May Total Over $1B By Kickoff

By the time its $2 billion capital campaign officially kicks off in May, Harvard will likely have received donations totalling more then half of the campaign's goal, provost Jerry R. Green indicated yesterday.

Green like President Neil L. Rudenstine, refused to give a specific target for the capital campaign,. but University officials have indicated privately that the target is roughly $2 billion. Green said again yesterday that Harvard's fundraising drive will be the largest in the history of higher education.

University fundraisers are rumored to be trying to amass 50 percent of the total goal by the time the campaign kicks off with a gala celebration on May 13 in Harvard Stadium. Green would neither confirm nor deny that there was a 50 percent target, but the provost said the campaign will start "slightly ahead of target."

"I think we're done very well so far," Green said. "But there's still a few months to go. We'll have to wait and see."

Green said more than a thousand "friends of all kinds" will gather at 37,967-seat Harvard Stadium for the May ceremony.

"Obviously you can't invite 10,000 people," Green said. "We're trying to get a broad cross-section of all the people who would be interested in the campaign."

The fund drive will not be confined to Harvard alumni, he said.

"It's mainly loyal alumni," he said "But the pleasant surprise to me has been the number of very large gifts we've had from non-alumni and, in fact, from non-Americans."

For example, Green said a Swiss donor with no Harvard ties donated $20 million for a center for health and humanrights last spring.

And non-Harvard donors have given $10 millionto the Divinity School and $20 million to theMedical School.

"Those [gifts] are very heartening to me,"Green said. "It shows that Harvard means somethingvery special in the larger world."

The provost said some gifts have been declinedbecause they were too narrow in focus or did notdovetail with Harvard's academic plans.

"We work very hard not to take a gift thatdoesn't fit our priorities," Green said. "We haveturned down some gifts that would too tough for usin the sense that they make us do something thatwe feel would not be sustainable at that level."

Because the upcoming campaign is Harvard's"first ever University-wide fundraising campaign,"Green said issues of organization and managementare crucial.

Carolyn A. Pelzel, associate director fordevelopment, is in charge of coordinating the May13 kick-off, which will be an attempt to "show thefull range of activities at Harvard."

"It's a big deal," Green said. "It's more thana full-time job [for Pelzel]."

Green said the participation of the entireUniversity in the campaign has allowed the deansof the 10 schools to coordinate their efforts andto learn from each other.

"It's good management practice when everybodyhas the same assumptions," he said

And non-Harvard donors have given $10 millionto the Divinity School and $20 million to theMedical School.

"Those [gifts] are very heartening to me,"Green said. "It shows that Harvard means somethingvery special in the larger world."

The provost said some gifts have been declinedbecause they were too narrow in focus or did notdovetail with Harvard's academic plans.

"We work very hard not to take a gift thatdoesn't fit our priorities," Green said. "We haveturned down some gifts that would too tough for usin the sense that they make us do something thatwe feel would not be sustainable at that level."

Because the upcoming campaign is Harvard's"first ever University-wide fundraising campaign,"Green said issues of organization and managementare crucial.

Carolyn A. Pelzel, associate director fordevelopment, is in charge of coordinating the May13 kick-off, which will be an attempt to "show thefull range of activities at Harvard."

"It's a big deal," Green said. "It's more thana full-time job [for Pelzel]."

Green said the participation of the entireUniversity in the campaign has allowed the deansof the 10 schools to coordinate their efforts andto learn from each other.

"It's good management practice when everybodyhas the same assumptions," he said