The University of Auburn says that the campaign increased record $ 1.2 billion

Auburn University raised $ 1.2 billion during a campaign that ended on December 31, the university announced today, making it the most successful fundraising effort in the history of the school.

The announcement about the "Because this is Auburn" campaign came in the annual A-Day game at Jordan-Hare Stadium.

It is the first time that an Alabama university exceeds the $ 1 billion mark in a fundraising campaign, the university said.

Jane DiFolco Parker, vice president of development and president of the Auburn University Foundation, said the campaign reached its goal 16 months earlier and that support continued beyond that.

The co-presidents of the campaign included Joe and Gayle Forehand of Dallas; Raymond and Kathryn Herbert of Birmingham; Wayne and Cheryl Smith of Nashville; and Beth Thorne Stukes of Jasper, Ala.

One-third of the gifts and commitments are allocated to the endowment, which is invested to create a perpetual source of income for financial security and resources for present and future expenses.

The president of Auburn University, Steven Leath, said that the "Auburn Family" showed tremendous generosity throughout the campaign.

"We are positioned to become a world-class academic, research and service university in the true spirit of our legacy of land grants," Leath said in the press release.