Harvard, the richest university in the United States, announced on Saturday it will attempt to raise $6.5 billion in donations to create new academic initiatives and bolster its financial aid program, according to Reuters. The goal is the largest for the institution and believed to be the most ambitious ever undertaken by a university, beating a fundraising effort by Stanford University that raised $6.2 billion last year. Harvard unveiled its campaign at an event featuring Bill Gates, who spent three years at the school in the 1970s before dropping out to co-found Microsoft Corp. Almost half of the money raised in the new campaign will support teaching and research, while a quarter will go for financial aid and related programs. The remaining funds will go toward capital improvements and a flexible fund, according to Harvard, recently ranked America's No. 2 university behind Princeton by U.S. News & World Report.
