$5 Million Cash Gift Launches $26 Million Scholarship Program A $5 million cash gift--the largest ever to Iowa State-- will launch the $26 million President's Scholarship Campaign to provide funds for many of ISU's scholarship programs. The gift, from the Lied Foundation Trust, Las Vegas, Nev., will fund the Christina Hixson Opportunity Awards--$2,500 scholarships that will go to 100 Iowans each year. "We're going to touch those special people who really don't think they're special," said Hixson, who was on campus Feb. 17 for the announcement of the gift. Hixson is a native of Clarinda and sole trustee of the Lied Foundation Trust. She said the scholarships are intended to help create opportunities for students who have the desire and potential to succeed, but perhaps do not have the money or encouragement from home to attend college. "You're missing a lot of kids when you only talk about kids who do exceptionally well in high school," she said. The scholarship program is intended 'to open doors and give opportunities to those who probably don't really think college is an option for them." "Christina Hixson's generosity will enable Iowa State University to continue its land-grant tradition of providing educational opportunities for all Iowans, regardless of their financial backgrounds," said President Martin Jischke. 'This unique award program will provide the financial incentive and moral support for talented Iowa students, who, for a variety of reasons, did not believe they could attend a university like Iowa State." The $5 million donation is the largest single cash gift in one year to an Iowa public university, said Murray Blackwelder, president of the ISU Foundation. Blackwelder said the "gift literally will open the doors of Iowa State to 100 Iowans each year." He added the university wants to provide a Hixson scholarship to a qualified student in each Iowa county. Efforts already are under way to contact eligible students through Iowa's high schools. The deadline for applying for the Hixson Awards is March 15. Hixson's gift is the catalyst for the President's Scholarship Campaign, a $26 million fund-raising effort to provide scholarships to students who have a variety of backgrounds and talents. In addition to the Hixson Awards, the campaign will provide funds for Presidential Scholarships for National Merit Scholars and National Achievement Scholars, George Washington Carver Scholarships for high-achieving minority students, Student-Athlete Scholarships for intercollegiate athletes, President's Leadership Initiative scholarships for students in campus leadership positions and other scholarships. The scholarship campaign runs through 1998. "The President's Scholarship Campaign will create a long- lasting source of funds for many students whose futures truly will be shaped by attending Iowa State," said Reid Crawford, vice president for external affairs. Hixson is a leading philanthropist known for her financial support of charitable organizations, particularly in the Midwest and Nevada. The Lied Foundation Trust was created by the estate of Ernst F. Lied, an Omaha businessman who moved to Las Vegas in 1959. He died in 1980 at the age of 74. Hixson was Lied's long-time business associate. _____ contact: News Service, (515) 294-0549 updated: 6-5-95