Graduation is two months away, but the Harvard Collage Fund is after the Class of '64 already.
Seniors are being asked to make a "statement of intent" to give a certain amount to the Fund for each of he next three years. No request for money will be made until next fall, however.
"We want them to understand before they leave Cambridge how inportant the Harvard College Fund is," explained John A. Dromey, Associate Director of the Fund. "By comparison with Yale and Princeton," he said, "response to the Harvard Fund from our younger grads has been rather on the thin said."
This is the fourth year seniors have been asked to predict their first three years' contributions. The Class of '63 pledged $6,000 a year. Almost $6,000 has already been received.
Class Agents to Solicit
Every senior has received a letter from First Marshal Eugeno Kinasewich '64, and will be visited soon by one of the two class agents in each House. The class agents will explain the need to support the Fund. "I expect they will get into a number of interesting arguments," Dromey added.
The Fund provides unrestricted money for use in the College. The $1.7 million received last year amounted to five percent of the College budget.
An effort is also currently being made to increase overall Harvard alumni giving. The Fund Council voted last fall to raise its goal to $2.5 million. Area class agents are being appointed by each of the classes, '58 through '25, for each of the eight cities in the country with the largest number of alumni.
Only 35 per cent of Harvard alumni give regularly to the Fund, as compared to 55 per cent of Yale alumni, and 67 per cent of Dartmouth and Princeton alumni.
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