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Inside Iowa State
Mar. 06, 1998

College of Design

Gift spurs building expansion plans

by Steve Sullivan

An ISU architecture alumnus has donated $650,000 in a deferred gift and cash gift to the College of Design. John Rogers' gift will go toward significant renovations in the design facility and a computation endowment for the college.

In making the gift, which includes a $50,000 cash gift and a $600,000 deferred gift, Rogers challenged other design alumni to contribute cash gifts and pledges so that construction can begin.

"My education in architecture at Iowa State was a comprehensive experience, covering both the technical and the artistic. The training I received was exactly the kind of preparation I needed for the future. For that, I owe the College of Design a lot," Rogers said.

Rogers, who earned a bachelor's degree in architecture in 1973, is president of Westchester Capital Management, an Omaha investment firm. A native of Mt. Pleasant, Rogers is an ISU Foundation governor and member of the Order of the Knoll. Recently, he was named president of the College of Design Dean's Council.

His cash gift will go towards the $3 million needed to complete the College of Design project, while the deferred portion will help establish a computation endowment fund for the college.

Iowa State has received $1 million in state funding for the College of Design project and another $1.33 million has been provided through gifts to the ISU Foundation. The private funds are being raised through the Campaign Destiny fund- raising effort.

For the capital project, the challenge now is to match Rogers' gift with $650,000 in cash gifts and pledges from donors by June 30, said Dean Mark Engelbrecht.

"John Rogers' generous gift to the College of Design is an indication of the great pride that design alumni take in this college, which is home to Iowa's only architecture program, as well as one of the most comprehensive design programs in the country," he said.

Features of the capital project include:

• A 250-seat auditorium for large group class presentations and other college and university events.

• An exterior plaza and improvements to the college's atrium focusing on upgrading existing spaces to provide long- term, secure display of student and faculty work. The improvement also will upgrade design project review areas.

• New in-studio computing areas, a distance education facility and an office of information technology designed for faculty development. These improvements will enhance the faculty and student use and development of computer-aided design programs and information-based technologies, said Engelbrecht. Some new computer areas also will be added in space the college uses in the Armory.

• Additional studio and shop space, and new electronically enhanced graduate studios clustered around a new visualization laboratory.

"Campaign Destiny is focused around projects that will take Iowa State to a new level. This project for the College of Design is one of our top priorities for funding in 1998," said ISU Foundation President Tom Mitchell.

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