Fundraising officials hold party

University administrators will hold a dinner tonight in the Quadrangle to honor donors, volunteers and others involved in the Campaign for Penn, the University's five-year capital fundraising effort. In addition to the dinner, the University has planned three receptions to precede the main event. Each reception will be held in a building that has received money from the campaign to finance its renovation or construction. The Campaign for Penn, which is close to meeting its $1.33 billion goal, will end in December. The drive surpassed its original goal of $1 billion in June 1993. The purpose of the event, which will be attended by more than 500 people, is to thank those involved in the campaign and to celebrate the drive's success, said Virginia Clark, vice president for development and alumni relations. "It's a good way to start the year," Clark said. "A lot of our donors and alumni are interested in coming to campus, so now would be a good time to do it." University President Judith Rodin and the three co-chairs of the Campaign -- Leonore Annenberg, Alvin Shoemaker and Saul Steinberg -- will address the assembly, which will also include faculty, student leaders, Trustees and alumni. At the moment, the Campaign for Penn has raised more money than any other Ivy League capital effort. Several schools, including Cornell and Columbia universities, still have more than a year left in their campaigns though. According to Clark, the goals of the campaign include raising money for endowed professorships, undergraduate education, financial aid, minority permanence programs and research. The catered dinner in the Quad will take place in McClelland Hall and outside under a lawn tent, Clark said. "We chose the Quad as sort of a symbol of the heart of the campus," she added. "And the campaign is about strengthening the campus." The Jaffe History of Art Building, despite its incomplete renovation, is the site of one of the receptions. The other two will be held in Lauder-Fischer Hall and the Fine Arts Library. "We want to be appreciative, but its not going to be lavish," said Clark.

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