The Board of Trustees voted to extend The Campaign for Brandeis for another five years and increase the goal to $1.22 billion, making Brandeis the youngest private university or college in the United States ever to launch a billion-dollar fundraising effort.

Prompted by the overwhelming success of the Campaign, which reached its target of $770 million in cash and pledges 14 months ahead of schedule, the trustees decided to boost the goal by $450 million.

“To launch a billion-dollar campaign at such an early date in Brandeis’s history is a remarkable achievement that reflects the University’s commitment to excellence,” said Brandeis President Jehuda Reinharz, PhD ’72. “It is also a testament to the generous support the University receives from alumni, friends, parents, trustees, and members of the Brandeis National Committee. We are positioned to boldly move forward as Brandeis enters its seventh decade.”

Brandeis, which was founded in 1948, becomes the youngest private U.S. university or college to embark on a billion-dollar campaign, according to figures compiled by the Chronicle of Philanthropy. The youngest had been the 83-year-old University of Miami, which launched a billion-dollar fundraising effort in 2003.

The focus of the extended Campaign will be the establishment of additional endowed scholarships to support students, ensuring that Brandeis will maintain its foundational commitment to admitting students based on merit rather than ability to pay.

“To remain competitive with others universities and colleges in the quest for the most talented students, we must increase the amount of scholarship money we are able to offer,” said Nancy Winship, P ’10, P ’12, senior vice president of institutional advancement. “Endowed scholarships provide predictable, ongoing support for our students.”

Other focus areas of the extended Campaign include creating endowments in support of faculty and academic programs.

The Campaign was launched in July 2001 with a goal of $470 million. By the time the Campaign’s public phase began in 2003, $275 million had already been raised. Two years later, when the original target was reached, the Board of Trustees voted to extend the Campaign through June 20, 2009, and increase the goal to $770 million.

Campaign gifts have funded undergraduate scholarships and graduate fellowships, endowed faculty positions, established pioneering academic research centers, and supported the construction of state-of-the art facilities. Gifts have ranged from $1 to $67.5 million. A total of 35 alumni have made Campaign gifts of between $1 million and $16.5 million.