The University of British Columbia wants to raise $1.5-billion by 2015 in what it says is the largest fund-raising campaign by a Canadian university. It says it plans to double the number of alumni involved in university activities. The announcement comes a month after the University of Southern California announced its plans to raise $6-billion, which is the largest campaign in history for a higher-education institution.

Since the Canadian university system is predominantly public, fund-raising efforts have traditionally had more modest goals than in the United States. However, university fund raisers in Canada have been setting higher targets because of economic pressures.