The Harvard Campaign’s launch event—titled “An Illuminating Day”—is being held Saturday, September 21, on campus in Cambridge. An audience of donors and fundraising volunteers, joined by senior administrators, deans, and some faculty, was scheduled to take in events including:
- “The Future of Knowledge,” a panel discussion among five senior faculty members (profiled here)
- “The Opportunity to Make a Difference,” a conversation on philanthropy between Bill Gates ’77, LL.D. ’07 (co-founder of Microsoft and leader of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation), and campaign co-chair David M. Rubenstein (co-founder and co-CEO of The Carlyle Group, a private-equity and investment firm). Read about their different approaches to philanthropy here. Read Walter Isaacson’s reporting on Gates’s undergraduate experiences at Harvard here.
- President Drew Faust's address.
These events are being streamed live by Harvard, beginning at 1:00 p.m. (Eastern).
A private social event and celebration are planned for the evening at the Stadium.
For background on the campaign, see this report from the current Harvard Magazine. For the perspective of Harvard's chief financial officer, see "Financial Focus" from the same issue.
Check Harvard Magazine's home page for regular updates; or click here for a full round-up of campaign-associated news reports.