Northeastern University secured $71.9 million in fundraising in the 2013-14 academic year, far exceeding its goal and marking the second-highest annual giving total in its history. The fiscal year of 2014 surpassed the previous one’s total of $63.3 million, and in recent years giving to Northeastern has outpaced the rate of total giving to higher education on a national level. In fact, between fiscal year 2008 and 2013, giving to Northeastern grew 66 percent, compared to a 27 percent increase in total giving to higher education over that same period, according to the Giving USA Foundation.

“The support of our global family empowers us to extend Northeastern’s brilliant arc of success,” said Joseph E. Aoun, president of Northeastern University. “This is an important moment that advances our mission to impact the world through knowledge and discovery.”

Behind this surging momentum is the support of the entire Northeastern family—alumni, students, faculty, staff, friends, and university partners. Their gifts and pledges have targeted a wide range of university programs and priorities, including financial aid, global experiential learning opportunities, and new scholarships and research fellowships. Some university departments even reported 100 percent staff participation in giving, with University Athletics being the first to reach that mark.

In addition to the remarkable overall giving of recent years, the university’s fundraising campaign has soared since its launch in May of 2013. Empower: The Campaign for Northeastern University, a comprehensive fundraising drive to secure $1 billion in support of students, faculty, and research innovation, will shape the future of teaching, learning, and discovery at Northeastern; amplify the university’s strengthens in creativity and entrepreneurship; and redefine its leadership on a global scale.

More than 79,000 individual donors and nearly 3,000 organizations have supported the Empower campaign since its launch. The unprecedented campaign aims to raise $500 million in philanthropic support and $500 million through industry and government partnerships by 2017.

“What’s impressed me during this campaign is how much the community of support for Northeastern resembles our student body. Our donors are smart, entrepreneurial, and innovative—and I’m truly grateful for their remarkable efforts,” said Diane MacGillivray, senior vice president of university advancement.

Northeastern followed the Empower campaign’s launch with eight celebrations held both on campus and across the globe. Empower has connected with thousands of members of the Northeastern community in cities such as Hong Kong, London, Paris, New York, San Francisco, and San Jose, California. In the fall, there will be an Empower event in Washington D.C., followed by an event in Dubai in the spring. Guests at these events experience the future of Northeastern through interactive exhibits showcasing the innovation, entrepreneurship, and research of the university’s outstanding students, faculty, and alumni.