Declaring that the Campaign gives Harvard a unique opportunity within higher education, she said The Harvard Campaign is essential for the University’s entrance into an “impatient future.”

“A campaign calls on us to ask what we stand for, what institutional commitment we will make to define who we are and who we will be decades and centuries from now.”

Campaign co-chair Joseph J. O’Donnell ’67 wrapped up the day’s event with a short speech that expressed appreciation for Faust and Vice President for Alumni Affairs and Development Tamara E. Rogers ’74. O’Donnell again emphasized the importance of this “once-in-a-generation collective effort” for Harvard’s future.

Not long after the conclusion of the program, donors headed across the river on Saturday evening for a dinner in Harvard Stadium, which several of the afternoon’s speakers, including Faust, referenced while onstage.

In interviews outside Sanders Theatre, donors responded well to the launch, with many citing the concept of One Harvard—a unified, interconnected University—as a point of shared excitement.

Christine M. Pina, an alumnus of the Graduate School of Education, called the launch “fantastic” and “incredibly inspiring,” adding that she appreciated that Faust’s comments spoke to the University collectively.

Thomas M. Chappell, a graduate of the Divinity School, said that he was excited about the role of the Divinity School in the One Harvard vision and about the prospect of beating the $6.5 billion goal.

—Madeline R. Conway and Nicholas P. Fandos contributed to the reporting of this story.

—Staff writer Nikita Kansra can be reached at Nikita.Kansra@thecrimson.com. Follow her on Twitter @NikitaKansra.

—Staff writer Samuel Y. Weinstock can be reached at Weinstock@thecrimson.com. Follow him on Twitter @syweinstock.