It would be coordinated through and run by the central University Development Office. Donors would be shared among schools and, as is already occurring, priorities would be determined on a University-wide basis.

Hyman explains that this model fits the nature of Summers’ goals.

The life sciences naturally cut across the traditional boundaries of schools. Neither GSE nor other schools with a tilt toward public service have wealthy enough alums to fundraise on the scale desired. FAS has a pool of wealthy donors—who would likely be solicited for all the goals—but would stand to benefit from coordination with other schools as well, Hyman says.

“The important thing is that if we all work together we can set bigger and more exciting intellectual goals,” he says.

In focusing on a centrally coordinated campaign, Summers’ administration is also keeping with attempts to break down barriers between the fiercely autonomous schools—which in the past largely managed their own budgets, set their own policies and, save for the last University-wide campaign, handled their own fundraising.

At his inauguration last fall, Summers said that “real and ultimate success will come only...when each of us in a single part of the University is genuinely part of Harvard University as a whole.”

With a new budgetary review process, Hyman has increased oversight of the schools’ spending and academic priorities.

Now Summers is moving on fundraising as well. Planning was too advanced at the Law School and Business School to reconsider their separate campaigns, Hyman says.

“Basically, you don’t come in and, for some abstract idea, quash ongoing campaigns that are already showing signs of success,” he says.

But at the other schools, the principle of coordination will hold.

—Staff writer David H. Gellis can be reached at gellis@fas.harvard.edu.