Iowa State University Alumni Association| online edition | spring 2008
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SPRING 2008
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FUNDRAISING CAMPAIGN IMPACT REFLECTED ON IOWA STATE CAMPUS

Campaign Iowa State: With Pride and Purpose logoThe October 2007 public launch of Campaign Iowa State: With Pride and Purpose has quickly filled the campus with an energy and excitement for great things to come. Most people understand that a fundraising campaign means additional money for the university, but what many don’t realize is how significant the impact will be for ISU.

With a goal of $800 million, this historic effort is helping Iowa State achieve its full potential while making a difference well beyond Iowa’s borders, reaching the national and global stage. This campaign is transformational for the future success of ISU – but the momentum on campus is already very real, and the campaign is already affecting the university
in many ways.

First endowed deanship at Iowa State
The faculty and staff are the life-blood of any world-class institution, and securing endowed positions is a priority for Iowa State to help retain and attract the best and brightest scholars, faculty, and researchers.
Just ask Wendy Wintersteen, the dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, about the importance of faculty support. Her college is the recipient of the first-of-its-kind endowed deanship at Iowa State. “This gift is a clear signal that our alumni and friends are passionate about supporting the college’s mission, success, and continued growth,” she said.

Thanks to a $3 million gift from an anonymous donor, Wintersteen says the students and faculty will benefit greatly from the perpetual financial support for emerging college priorities and opportunities.
Endowed leadership positions allow administrators to leverage human and financial resources. Endowment earnings help provide flexible funds that can be directed to support the areas of greatest need, including research, graduate assistants, and student educational experiences.

“Our donors clearly understand the importance of research and education in the agricultural and life sciences for both the future of Iowa and the citizens of the world,” said Wintersteen. “This endowment will help safeguard our position among the very best.”

A changing landscape for chemistry
Access to modern facilities is essential for faculty and students to push scientific boundaries in any field – and it’s no exception for the Department of Chemistry at Iowa State. Thanks to a recent $4.5 million commitment from the Roy J. Carver Charitable Trust, construction of a state-of-the-art chemical sciences complex has gained considerable momentum. The three-story, 135,000-gross-square-foot facility is one of the top priorities for the university, and with the help of private support this project is quickly becoming a reality.

“Chemistry is one of Iowa State’s most outstanding departments and a discipline that is critically important to our role as a leading university of science and technology,” said ISU President Gregory L. Geoffroy. “Excellence in chemistry is central to many of our efforts, including advancing the bioeconomy in Iowa.”

The project will not only provide advanced facilities but also much-needed space. Each year, the Department of Chemistry teaches 4,000 undergraduates per semester for 40 undergraduate majors and also has the largest Ph.D. program on campus. The first floor of the chemical sciences complex will be dedicated to undergraduate teaching laboratories and student interaction space. The second and third floors will be dedicated to existing biomedical researchers, and vacant labs will be used to recruit new faculty to Iowa State.

“This new facility will be paramount in fulfilling the integration of world-class researchers with the most advanced laboratory spaces and analytical tools available,” said Jacob Petrich, professor and chair of the Department of Chemistry.

“If we are to maintain our high level of excellence, we need the facilities to do that.”

The new facility has a target completion date of August 2010 and will be built northwest of Gilman Hall, current home of the Department of Chemistry. Gilman Hall will continue to hold general classrooms, computer labs, offices, and laboratories.

Campaign progress at a glance

• Campaign goal: $800 million
• Raised to date: $554.2 million
• 101,869 individual donors have contributed
to the campaign thus far
• 45 new endowed faculty positions have been
created since the start of the campaign
• 475 new student scholarship accounts have been created since the start of the campaign
• 3,360 Iowa State faculty and staff have
donated to the campaign

Campaign Iowa State: With Pride and Purpose began on July 1, 2003, was publicly launched on Oct. 19, 2007, and is scheduled to conclude on Dec. 31, 2010.