“I think you get the most support for Harvard in every way when people think about the place,” Reardon said. “When people are back on campus, they think about [Harvard] more. The campaign will be coming along and certainly we want alumni to be thinking about what goes on here and the place’s needs.”

O’Neill said the anniversary will set the tone for the upcoming capital campaign and build momentum and excitement among alumni.

“It’s a party with a purpose—I’m not going to lie,” O’Neill said.

— Staff writer Tara W. Merrigan can be reached at tmerrigan@college.harvard.edu.

— Staff writer Zoe A. Y. Weinberg can be reached at zoe.weinberg@college.harvard.edu.

This article has been revised to reflect the following correction.

CORRECTION: SEPT. 2, 2011

An earlier version of the headline for the Sept. 2 story "Harvard's 375th Anniversary To Kick Off with October Celebration" incorrectly stated that the 375th anniversary would serve as a kick-off for the upcoming capital campaign. While University adminstrators say the event will be build momentum for the campaign, it is not the formal beginning of the capital campaign.