BANGOR – Husson College has exceeded its $6 million capital campaign goal by almost $700,000, the chairman of the board of trustees announced Sunday.

Launched in 1998, the Legacy of Leadership Capital Campaign will be used in part to provide more scholarships, renovate and expand the library, and support new science labs, board of trustees chairman Leo Loiselle said during the college’s third annual arboretum tea party.

“The energy on campus is incredible and the level of generosity by alumni, friends, foundations and businesses, along with the hard work of faculty, staff, and Husson students, is truly the means by which Husson can serve a new generation of students,” Loiselle said.

The late afternoon party for arboretum supporters was scheduled to take place under a tent on the 2-acre preserve dotted with native Maine trees. But a sudden thunderstorm drove the festivities inside the Richard E. Dyke Center for Family Business.

Still, nothing could dampen the spirits of Husson officials who said it was appropriate to celebrate concurrently the successes of both the campaign and the 4-year-old arboretum.

The completion of the campaign “parallels the kind of blossoming and flourishing in the arboretum,” said Todd Nadeau, director for development.

In addition to providing more scholarships, the capital campaign will be used to support:

. The new Clara L. Swan Center, which contains the Richard and Alice Trott Fitness Studios and the Kenduskeag Institute, a human performance lab that enables students to do research on Parkinson’s disease, diabetes and obesity;

. The athletic fields, including the John Boucher Soccer Pitch, the John Winkin Baseball Complex and the Harold Alfond Diamond;

. An on-campus genetics research lab and a small marine science education lab on the coast of Maine;

. The renovation and expansion of the library, which will be named for trustee Tom Sawyer and his wife, Bonnie;

. A concert endowment fund by trustee John E. Kilgore, who donated a Steinway concert piano to the college. The concerts, which are in their third year, feature international pianists.

Husson has been successful in raising money because “we’ve really tried to focus on being a Maine college,” spokesperson Cheryl Russell said.

The largest private college in Maine, Husson is one of the most affordable four-year colleges in New England, officials said. Tuition is $15,000 a year.