UMass Lowell hopes to raise $125 million by 2020 in its first comprehensive campaign to help students attend the university.

Chancellor Jacquie Moloney said Friday that the main goal is to “help students be more successful” by increasing financial aid and reducing student debt. Moloney said the campaign is “very ambitious,” but said she is excited and confident that the university will meet its goal.

“We’re going to take this campaign and hit it out of the park,” Moloney said during the “opening day” of “Our Legacy, Our Place.”

Moloney said the university has increased its efforts to raise money through developing an alumni network, in the past few years. In the last 2 1/2 years, the university has raised $78 million, she said.

“We have a mass of support now that will help support this campaign,” Moloney said.

UMass Lowell students and staff crowded the atrium of University Crossing to celebrate the announcement

Manning School of Business professor Deborah Finch, student Christopher Nunez and Moloney urged the university community to donate

Moloney and Finch spoke about interacting with students with extreme financial needs. Nunez told his story as an immigrant from the Dominican Republic to Lawrence and finally to UMass Lowell, and how financial assistance has helped him become a student leader.

“The feeling of receiving a scholarship is an unmatched feeling,” said Nunez.

This article was originally published in the Lowell Sun.