Iowa State University Alumni Association| online edition | winter 2008

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CAMPAIGN IOWA STATE
IOWA STATE LAUNCHES ITS LARGEST FUNDRAISING CAMPAIGN EVER: $800 MILLION

$800,000,000: Where will the money go?
Teaching teachers to teach science
Coming full circle
'I found my passion in life'
True or false: Check your campaign IQ
The little gift that grew
Participation: Why it matters
Campaign FAQs
Executive Campaign Committee
Campaign faces
Campaign facts

Campaign Iowa State: With Pride and Purpose, an $800 million fundraising campaign, presents one of the most exciting opportunities for growth and distinction in Iowa State University history. Never before has Iowa State been more prepared to make a difference globally than it is today by fulfilling its mission to "create, share, and apply knowledge to make Iowa and the world a better place." Iowa State strategically crafted its campaign priorities to focus on funding for students, faculty, programs, and facilities. A long history of private philanthropy has brought the university to this point, and with the support of committed alumni and friends through Campaign Iowa State, the future is unlimited.

$800,000,000: Where will the money go? (Return to top)

Student support: $235 million
Tuition and debt load for students are rising each year. At the beginning of the campaign, about 4,000 students received privately funded scholarships. Campaign Iowa State will increase scholarships to help support merit- and need-based students in all programs.

Faculty support: $215 million
Competition for the best scholars is intense. One of the most effective ways to attract and retain world-class faculty is to offer endowed chairs, professorships, and fellowships. Campaign Iowa State seeks to double the number of endowed faculty positions from 75 to 150.

Program support: $195 million
Academic and out-of-classroom programs and campus organizations help serve ISU students and challenge the frontiers of knowledge. Campaign Iowa State will help enhance the student experience in many areas.

Facilities support: $155 million
State-of-the-art facilities help attract the best and brightest students, faculty, and staff have a profound impact on their ability to excel. Campaign Iowa State will help fund major academic and athletics building and renovation projects.

For details, go to the Campaign Web site: www.withprideandpurpose.org

Teaching teachers to teach science (Return to top)

What happens when science and literacy meet in the primary classroom?

Here’s the scenario: Elemen-tary school teachers in kindergarten through second grade tend to be focused on teaching reading, language arts, and math to their young students. Many of the teachers have not taught science in years, and they are terrified of the idea of teaching science. So, often children in the early primary grades have limited contact with science curriculum.

A new program at Iowa State, “When Science and Literacy Meet in the Primary Classroom (K-3),” aims to solve that problem, at least for the students of 20 elementary school teachers in Iowa. The project is being funded through the Roy J. Carver Charitable Trust.

Lori Norton-Meier, assistant professor of literacy education in Iowa State’s College of Human Sciences, directs the project, which brings the 20 elementary teachers to the ISU campus for eight days of training during the summer, sends them back to the classroom, and then brings them back the next two summers for additional training – for a total of three years.

Meanwhile, Iowa State students in Norton-Meier’s literacy methods course become pen pals with the children whose teachers are involved in the project. At the end of the semester, the children and the ISU students will have the opportunity to meet.

During the summer of 2007, the teachers came to campus for the first time. “Many of them came a little tentative and left gung-ho,” said Norton-Meier. “They each had that moment when they realized, ‘I can teach science!’ So that was really exciting.”

The program engages the teachers with hands-on science content like building rockets and working in a chemistry lab, forcing them to become frustrated – like children do – when they have questions and can’t find the answers.

“Teachers are active learners, just like the kids are active learners,” said Norton-Meier. “It will be powerful to see how teachers can transition the learning they did last summer into the classroom.”

The goal is to get the teachers to integrate science, an area where they may have been limited, with reading and writing and speaking, all areas where they’re more comfortable, in order to strengthen science learning among the young students.

Norton-Meier says one of the most exciting aspects of the project is seeing the three elements – teacher learning, elementary student learning, and Iowa State student learning – come together throughout the semester.

“That’s what I love most about this program,” she said.

Coming full circle (Return to top)

Two Iowa State alumni impact the hiring of new endowed chair of aerospace engineering

Bong Wie thought so highly of his academic adviser at Stanford University – a graduate of Iowa State University – that when Iowa State offered him a position on the aerospace engineering faculty, he didn’t hesitate to accept.

“It was a very easy decision,” said Wie, who is the first holder of the Vance D. Coffman Endowed Chair in Aerospace Engineering. “Dr. Arthur Bryson was my master’s and Ph.D. adviser. He influenced a lot of researchers and engineers in our aerospace community and is truly an internationally known scholar in his profession. Iowa State University has a long history of producing well-qualified aerospace engineers and faculty members, so I was very familiar with the reputation of Iowa State in aerospace engineering.”

Arthur E. Bryson, Jr. graduated from Iowa State in 1946 with a degree in aeronautical engineering and taught at Harvard University before moving to Stanford. In addition to influencing Wie, Bryson was also a mentor to Vance Coffman (’67 aeronautical engineering), retired chairman and CEO of Lockheed Martin Corporation. Coffman earned his master’s and Ph.D. at Stanford, and upon his retirement Lockheed established the endowed faculty chair in Coffman’s name.

Wie was a member of the Arizona State University faculty from 1989 until accepting the position at Iowa State in 2007. His research expertise includes space vehicle dynamics and control, modeling and control of large space structures, and solar sail flight control system development and mission design. At Iowa State, he is the director of the Spacecraft Systems and Controls Laboratory.

“This is an excellent example of how endowed
faculty positions help us recruit world-class leaders by providing the highest level of faculty recognition and support,” said ISU President Gregory Geoffroy last March when Wie’s hiring was announced. “These positions strengthen the university in many ways, and we are very grateful to Lockheed Martin for establishing this endowed chair in honor of Vance Coffman.”

Wie described Professor Bryson as “a very gentle person and a real scholar.” Bryson’s influence on Wie’s career has been indescribable, he said. “His impact was enormous.”

'I found my passion in life' (Return to top)

Lives are changed,
friendships are forged in rural Uganda

Elly Sukup is a typical college student.

She gets up. She brushes her teeth. She goes to class.

But she never forgets that on the other side of the world, people wake up every morning and wonder if there will be enough food to eat.

Some day – through the research being conducted by Sukup and other students and faculty through Iowa State’s Sustainable Rural Livelihoods program – that is likely to change.

Sukup, an ISU senior from Dougherty, Iowa, majoring in public service and administration in agriculture, has twice worked and studied in Uganda through grants from the Sustainable Rural Livelihoods program, a project initially funded by Gerald A. (’62 agriculture)
and Karen A. Kolschowsky in 2003.

“I loved Uganda,” Sukup said. “I just loved everything about it. It was like I found my passion in life. The first time I went into the field with one of the workers, it was like, ‘I could do this for the rest of my life.’” In 2006, Sukup and five other ISU students and two faculty members taught agriculture classes in one of Uganda’s most desperately impoverished areas. They showed the children how to grow food in a school garden, and through funding from the Center for Sustainable Rural Livelihoods, watched as the garden – and the children – flourished after a well was added near the school.

“It was the most amazing day ever,” Sukup says of the day workers dug the well. “We were supposed to teach two classes that day, but school was cancelled! The truck pulled in and the whole school just sat there and watched them drill.

“It’s just little things like that,” she continued. “All of a sudden you have water! You can irrigate your garden! You can actually have livestock! All of a sudden the kids are healthier … more kids are enrolling because of those opportunities … the community comes together and sees, ‘Wow, the school has water. This school really has something going for it.’ All of a sudden – all these opportunities! And to be able to witness something like that? I can’t put it into words.”

After her experience in Uganda in 2006, Sukup started looking for a way to go back.

“I felt eternally grateful to the Center for Sustainable Rural Livelihoods and to Jerry and Karen for the money they invested in me. I wanted to do something to give back.”

Sukup returned to rural Uganda in 2007 to gather baseline data for research she hopes will continue into the future. She found that many of the students she had taught the previous summer had taken the agricultural concepts they’d learned from the ISU students and planted gardens at their homes. There had been a definite transfer of knowledge. And it went both ways.

“I learned a lot more from them than I’m sure they learned from me,” Sukup said. “It was very much a learning experience.”

After graduation, Sukup hopes to work in developing Third World countries, especially in the area of nutrition, public health, and gender issues.

“Iowa State has helped me find my passion,” she said. “Iowa State has been wonderful to me. I have had amazing mentors.”

True or false: Check your campaign IQ (Return to top)

1. Only $1 million gifts make a difference.
False. Gifts of all sizes are needed to support the ongoing excellence of Iowa State and to make Campaign Iowa State a success.

2. Philanthropy helps the university pay the light bill.
False. Gifts help provide the “extras” that help define the Iowa State experience. Philanthropy allows students and faculty to take advantage of opportunities that cannot be funded through state support.

3. Private support to ISU helps solve the world’s problems.
True! Philanthropy provides re-searchers with additional resources to advance and accelerate research. Iowa State scientists conduct research in many areas – from curing diseases to discovering new biofuels.

4. My gift to Iowa State will help me save money on my taxes.
True. Most gifts qualify as a tax deduction.

5. I may be able to double my gift without spending extra money.
True. In many cases, employers offer matching gifts to educational institutions. Last year alone, matching gifts accounted for $1.4 million.

6. I get to choose how my money will be used.
True. With more than 4,400 gift designations, you can support the programs that reflect your interests: your academic college or department, the library, the arts, athletics, etc. You decide exactly where your gift goes and how it is used. You can even create your own fund.

7. Cash is the only way to make a gift to Iowa State.
False. There are many options, including personal property, real estate, bequests, stocks, bonds, mutual funds, and more.

8. Endowed positions help Iowa State recruit and retain top faculty.
True. Endowed chairs and professorships can support course development, graduate assistants, laboratory equipment, salary enhancements, scholarly travel, and research projects. Faculty fellowships recognize the leadership potential of talented faculty and provide educational foundations that enrich all students. They also encourage professional growth, offer early career recognition, and support research and other special projects.

The little gift that grew (Return to top)

**********************************

Verna and Arend "Sandy" Sandbulte
Sandy: ISU '59 electrical engineering
Retired chairman/president/CEO, Minnesota Power

Four grown children, 14 grandchildren

Duluth, Minn.

**********************************

Money was tight in 1956 when Verna and Arend “Sandy” Sandbulte came to Iowa State. The high school sweethearts from Sioux Center, Iowa, had married at age 19 in 1953, and right away Sandy left to serve in the Army. After 21 months he returned home to his wife and baby and enrolled at Iowa State as an electrical engineering major. The young family – two more children would arrive before they left Ames – lived in Pammel Court, where they paid $26 a month for rent. While he attended college, Sandy worked part-time for Fareway Grocery and later for O.A. Olson Manufacturing. Meanwhile, Verna babysat for children in Pammel Court.

Sandy’s 1959 Iowa State electrical engineering degree, coupled with an MBA from the University of Minnesota, gave him a head start on his career, and when he was approached to give a gift to Iowa State in 1974, he gave a modest donation: $10.

“We started small and built up from there over the years,” he said. Soon the Sandbultes were giving $1,000 on an annual basis.

Over the years, Verna and Sandy have given back to Iowa State often, both monetarily and through key volunteer positions. In the late 1980s the couple donated regularly to the Department of Electrical Engineering and in the 1990s contributed a major gift to Campaign Destiny, the university’s comprehensive fundraising campaign. Sandy became involved in volunteer leadership positions through the ISU Foundation, first as a member and later as chair of the Investment Committee, then as vice chairman and chairman of the ISU Foundation Board of Directors. While vice chairman of the board, he headed a committee charged with developing a strategic plan for the foundation. Today, he serves on the Audit Committee, and he and Verna have pledged a gift to the current Coover Hall building fund. They have also included an Iowa State endowed professorship in their estate plans.

“Iowa State color has always run in our bloodstreams,” Sandy says. “Whenever we go back to Ames, there’s just a really special feeling.”

Participation: Why it matters (Return to top)

Roger Underwood, volunteer chair for Campaign Iowa State: With Pride and Purpose, wants everyone connected with Iowa State to participate in the campaign – not just those who can contribute major gifts.

“I would hope everyone would consider giving to this campaign,” said Underwood (’80 agricultural business). “If you are a $100 or $250 donor and make a gift every year to the campaign, that really adds up.”

Underwood remembers when he gave his first gift to Iowa State. It was $25 that he “probably couldn’t afford at the time.” But he wanted to give back to the university that gave so much to him.

Within the framework of a fundraising campaign, smaller gifts add up to big impact according to ISU Foundation President Dan Saftig.

“When you have hundreds and thousands of the more modest gifts, they add up to make a significant impact to all corners of the university,” he said. “It’s also a shot in the arm, because a high level of participation in the campaign is a confidence booster for our students who receive scholarship support and for our faculty who receive support through philanthropy. It says that there’s a larger family that believes in them, that has confidence in them.”

Donors have the opportunity to direct their gifts to the area closest to their hearts or their interests. Saftig said there are more than 4,400 gift designations from which to choose, from the marching band to mechanical engineering to VEISHEA to agricultural entrepreneurship – and everything in between. Donors may even establish a new gift fund.

“Higher education is a great philanthropic investment, where all donors, large and modest, can have a significant impact not only on today’s students but on what they will do in the future,” said Saftig. “Great things are happening here. Now more than ever, this is the time to invest in Iowa State University.”

Note: The ISU Foundation ack-nowledges annual donors who give at the $2,500 or higher level each year through the Campanile Society. The two-year-old society already has more than 2,000 members.

Campaign FAQs (Return to top)

What is a comprehensive campaign?
A comprehensive fundraising campaign addresses the broad needs and opportunities for the entire institution. Such campaigns are designed to feature high-priority university goals, and intensive fundraising efforts are focused on their achievement.

When did the campaign begin and when will it end?
Iowa State officially began its campaign on July 1, 2003. The public launch was Oct. 19, 2007. The campaign is scheduled to conclude on Dec. 31, 2010.

How much money has been raised to date?
It is common for universities conducting a fundraising campaign to raise a significant portion of their goal prior to announcing the effort publicly. This helps launch the campaign with great momentum and encourage donors to support a successful effort. Since
the beginning of the campaign, Iowa State has raised more than $528 million (as of Dec. 1, 2007), already surpassing the $458.6 million raised in the previous campaign.

What are the priorities of Campaign Iowa State?
• Student support: $235 million
• Faculty support: $215 million
• Program support: $195 million
• Facilities support: $155 million

How were the campaign priorities determined?
Iowa State faculty and staff helped determine the university’s fundraising priorities by submitting their recommendations to ISU President Gregory Geoffroy. All priorities were required to be directly tied to the university’s strategic plan. President Geoffroy consulted with the university deans and other key leaders before making his final recommendations and setting the $800 million goal.

Who gives to the campaign and how much?
In fiscal year 2007 alone, more than 54,000 donors supported Iowa State through private philanthropy efforts. These benefactors are alumni, friends, faculty, staff, students, corporations, and organizations that all want to make an impact on the future of ISU. Gifts and commitments range from $25 to $1 million and above. Every single gift, no matter its amount, is important to the success of this campaign.

Where does the money go?
Donors are asked to make an investment in an area of their greatest interest – this could include a scholarship, an endowed faculty position, a favorite program, a college need, support for athletics, or the arts. There are more than 4,400 established funds already that receive private support, or a donor can choose to start a new fund.

Why a campaign and why now?
Campaign Iowa State: With Pride and Purpose is an opportunity to celebrate Iowa State pride and help Iowa State fulfill its purpose to “create, share, and apply knowledge to make Iowa and the world a better place.” The achievements of this campaign will transform Iowa State for many years to come. ISU is poised to extend and expand its global impact.

Iowa State cannot create an environment of success with current levels of state support. The university also cannot continue to raise tuition beyond the reach of students and their families. While Iowa State must always rely on state support for its overall operation, there are many needs and opportunities that only private support can achieve.

What were the outcomes of previous comprehensive fundraising campaigns?
• 1988-1993: Partnership for Prominence, $214.5 million
• 1995-2000: Campaign Destiny,
$458.6 million

Who manages fundraising efforts at Iowa State?
The Iowa State University Foundation is the non-profit organization dedicated to securing and stewarding private gifts that benefit Iowa State University. ISU President Gregory Geoffroy works closely with the ISU Foundation to establish fundraising priorities and to meet with alumni and friends about how they can make an impact at the university through private support.

How can I find more information
on the campaign?
Go to the campaign Web site:
www.withprideandpurpose.org

Executive Campaign Committee (Return to top)

Campaign Iowa State is led by a group of volunteers who work closely with ISU President Gregory Geoffroy. In addition to the executive committee members listed below, more than 100 alumni and friends serve on other committees.

Chair: Roger Underwood (’80 agricultural business)
Ames, Iowa

Steve Bergstrom (’79 business)
Montgomery, Texas

Jerry (’62 agricultural business)
and Karen Kolschowsky
Oak Brook, Ill.

Gene (’49 veterinary medicine, ’70 Ph.D.)
and Linda Lloyd
Ft. Myers, Fla.

Chuck Manatt (’58 rural sociology)
Washington, D.C.

Jim (’60 electrical engineering)
and Kathy Melsa
Naperville, Ill.

Owen Newlin (’51 agronomy, ’53 MS)
Des Moines, Iowa

Dick Stanley (’55 electrical engineering /
mechanical engineering)
Muscatine, Iowa

Ellen Molleston Walvoord
(’61 home economics journalism)
Harvard, Ill.

Note: Only ISU degrees are listed

Campaign faces (Return to top)

Remarkable students. Outstanding professors. Extraordinary alumni...

Sue Ravenscroft
Roger P. Murphy Professor of Accounting
ISU College of Business

Anumantha Kanthasamy
W.E. Lloyd Chair in Neurotoxicology
ISU College of Veterinary Medicine

Silas Pippitt
Junior, pre-journalism & mass communication
Hixson Opportunity Awards scholar, a privately funded scholarship program
Red Oak, Iowa

Liz Beck ('74 history, master's '77)
Retired director of ISU Honors Program
Campaign donor/campaign volunteer

Scott Schrage ('06 advertising)
Graduate student, journalism & mass communication
Caller in ISU Foundation's PhoneCenter (raised $47,850 to date)
Sloan, Iowa

Jane Sturgeon ('85 accounting)
Campaign donor/campaign volunteer
Urbandale, Iowa

James Dickson
ISU Professor of Animal Science
Campaign donor

Arista's I'm Gonna Getcha Good, AKA "Twain"
4-year-old golden retriever owned by Deanna Collins and her daughter, Katie, of Ames
The Collins family has contributed to the College of Veterinary Medicine's Companion Animal Fund in member of friends' pets who have died

Campaign facts (Return to top)

- More than 100,000 donors have made a gift or commitment to the campaign to date.

- The campaign theme "With Pride and Purpose" represents the enormous pride that alumni feel for Iowa State and the purpose the university serves to improve lives on a local and global scale.

- 39 endowed faculty positions have been created since the beginning of the campaign; there are currently 114 endowed faculty positions at Iowa State.*

- 448 new scholarship accounts have been created since the start of the campaign.*

*As of Dec. 1, 2007

About the Writer | Carole Gieseke is the editor of VISIONS magazine. Campaign facts and details provided by the ISU Foundation staff.