Iowa State University Alumni Association| online edition | summer 2008

SUMMER 2008
Home

Cover Story:
Change the world

Feature Story:
150 contributions

Feature Story:
Soggy end to a yearlong party

Feature Story:
Distinguished Awards Celebration

Departments:
Getting Started
Letters
Around Campus
Association News
>>Giving
Sports

THE CAMPUS CAMPAIGN: "I BELIEVE"

Home is not a place; it is people,” says author Lois McMaster Bujold.

Nowhere is that more evident than on the Iowa State University campus. With more than 26,000 students and 6,000 faculty and staff members, it’s truly the people who make Iowa State an amazing place. From the professor teaching a class of undergraduate students to the staff member who goes the extra mile, each person has a hand in making Iowa State feel like family.

Campaign Iowa State: With Pride and Purpose is a historical and transformational endeavor with a goal of $800 million. Already, 3,413 ISU faculty, staff, and retirees have contributed more than $22 million in total gifts and commitments to the campaign, far surpassing any previous campus fundraising goal (Campaign Destiny raised $15 million from faculty and staff). In response to the overwhelming participation, the campus campaign goal was raised from $20 million to $27 million. While some may consider giving back to an employer atypical, many in the ISU campus community consider it an opportunity to say “I believe” in the place they call home.

James L. Patton
County Extension Education Director, Webster County

Jim Patton grew up on a farm in eastern Iowa. As a high school student, he participated in 4-H and FFA. He attended Iowa State University for agricultural education and taught high school agriculture for seven years.

Including the 20 years spent in two rural banks, Patton’s roots are deep in agriculture.

He’s spent the past 14 years working for ISU Extension and is currently the extension education director for Webster County.

Patton (’66 ag education, MS ’71) oversees the county budget and works with specialists ranging from nutrition to animal science to agronomy to economic development.

Giving comes naturally to Patton and his wife, Diane (’68 home economics education). They support their church, Rotary International, the American Association of University Women, and many other organizations.
But it’s the gifts they give to Iowa State that Patton sees as an investment in the future.

“I have always felt that if the place I was working for was good enough to pay me that I should also invest in that business,” he says. “That’s why I give to Iowa State University. It’s an institution that gave me a good education. And I now also happen to work for the university, so I do this as a form of investment.”

Specifically, the Pattons have chosen to give their dollars to the 4-H Foundation, ISU Extension, and family and consumer sciences programs and education scholar-ships within the College of Human Sciences.

Patton serves on the campus committee for Campaign Iowa State. He says the campaign provides an opportunity to call attention to the quality of the institution.

“People in Iowa tend to be kind of quiet about what we have going for us. I think this campaign gives us a chance to say, ‘We are doing great things.’ And it gives people the opportunity to join in that effort.”

Cynthia Jeffrey
Associate Professor of Accounting

Cynthia Jeffrey and her husband, Frank, met as undergraduate students at Iowa State University.

“We were married during spring break of our junior year,” said Jeffrey.

After graduation, the couple pursued careers in Minnesota and started a family. With two young sons, they had the opportunity to return to Iowa.

“It was hard for my kids to leave Minnesota because it was a wonderful environment. But after the first couple of months, my son said, ‘I really like visiting Minnesota, but I’m glad we live in Iowa,’ and that validated everything we thought about the community, the university, and what that meant to the kind of life
we wanted,” Jeffrey said.

In 1988, Jeffrey (’72 English, MS ’79) joined the faculty at Iowa State. As a professor in accounting, she enjoys teaching and helping students develop through academics. “I see students grow from teenagers to young adults and start on their career paths. Watching that transformation is very rewarding,” she said.

The positive impact Iowa State has had on her family inspired her to become involved with Campaign Iowa State as a member of the campus campaign committee. It’s an opportunity for Jeffrey to encourage others to give to Iowa State University, just as she and her family have done.

“My husband and I established a scholarship in the College of Business to honor my parents. They had to work very hard for their education without any additional financial support,” Jeffrey explained. “Education made a difference in our lives, and we wanted to help students needing financial help.”

In addition to their support to student scholarships and areas like Reiman Gardens, the Jeffreys also made a gift to the Office of Precollegiate Programs for Talented and Gifted (OPPTAG) curriculum at Iowa State. The Jeffreys’ sons, Evan and Ryan, benefited from the program as high school students.

“OPPTAG had a tremendous impact on my sons’ lives and their academic achievement. We’re delighted to support a program that’s able to nurture and help other kids reach their goals,” said Jeffrey.

Through her role in the campaign, she reaches out to colleagues about how they can help make Iowa State University even better. “Without private support, we cannot offer the quality and breadth critical to our students. You give them an education, and they have the opportunity to become better people. It enhances lives and our society. It’s truly a gift that keeps on giving,” said Jeffrey.

Campaign Iowa State:
With Pride and Purpose
Campus Campaign

• Goal: $27 million
• Amount raised to date: $22 million*
• Number of donors: 3,413*
  (faculty, staff & retirees)
  
  *Figures as of April 2008

To learn more about Campaign Iowa State: With Pride and Purpose, please contact the ISU Foundation at 1-866-419-6768 or visit www.withprideandpurpose.org.