The architects of Reed’s comprehensive campaign reveal their vision for the next generation of Reedies.
By Bennett Campbell Ferguson
October 5, 2026
When a college undertakes a comprehensive campaign, it is investing in its students, its faculty, and its overriding philosophy of education. That is what is driving Meet the Moment: Together, with Reed, which is Reed’s most ambitious campaign to date—and has a $350 million fundraising goal.
“We do this work for the future of the college,” says Reed President Audrey Bilger. “Our goal is to ensure that we have the resources to keep the college strong and successful as we continue on in the 21st century.”
Meet the Moment focuses on three campaign pillars: advance academic excellence, nurture student success, and cultivate inclusive community. It is an effort that seeks to uphold the values that define all great institutions in higher education, while also strengthening those qualities that are intrinsic specifically to Reed.
“At Reed, we spend a lot of time selecting faculty who are committed to the idea of transmitting skills in critical thinking to their students,” says Reed trustee Roger M. Perlmutter ’73, who is serving as the chair of the campaign committee. “Yes, there are other colleges that do that, too, but Reed is really quite remarkable in terms of the depth of scholarship that is represented among a faculty population that is both really committed to teaching and, perhaps for that reason, really good at it.”
Beyond seeking to sustain all that makes Reed special, Meet the Moment is designed to help the college deepen support not only for current students, but also for students attending Reed in the next 10-20 years.
“I think undergrads across the country often struggle to see how their coursework or their major lives in the world,” says Board Chair Deborah D. Kamali ’85. “And the campaign will help faculty and staff with resources that they need to connect those dots for students—to recognize and articulate their strengths as they take their Reed education into the world.”
Another crucial aspect of Meet the Moment is making sure that as many prospective students as possible can imagine Reed in their future. “Part of success is Reed becoming more accessible, being on more people’s radars,” Kamali says. “There are students out there who are looking for a place like Reed—who may not be aware of it or think that they cannot afford it.”
Meet the Moment seeks to change that, in part by making sure that Reed is at the heart of the diverse, fast-paced world around it. “It’s more and more going to be a world that depends on the ability of our students to interact with people from all over—people who come from different cultural backgrounds, people who have very diverse perspectives,” Perlmutter says.
Success on those terms will positively transform life for Reedies, says Hieu T. Nguyen, vice president for college advancement. “Campaigns are intentional,” Nguyen says. “They are long term, and they create aspirations—and they help institutions see themselves, and become better able to make these aspirations a reality.”