Inside Iowa State
Sept. 20, 1996
ISU kicks off largest
fund-raising effort ever
$34 million anonymous
gift slated for College of
Agriculture
by Linda Charles
Iowa State publicly will launch its most ambitious fund-
raising effort ever tonight with the announcement of a $34
million anonymous gift. Kick-off ceremonies will be held
during The Order of the Knoll, a gathering of Iowa State's
top supporters.
The $300 million capital campaign will provide scholarships for thousands of students, endow positions for professors and department chairs, put students in new classrooms and labs equipped with the latest in teaching and research equipment, and fund a variety of new and existing programs.
When the campaign -- named "Campaign Destiny: To Become the Best" -- closes in the year 2000, every college in the university will be stronger, said President Martin Jischke.
Five areas -- endowments, programs, buildings, financial aid and special projects -- have been singled out for campaign support. These areas were selected by college deans to help position Iowa State as the best land-grant university in the nation and some academic areas as the best in the world. More than 60 percent of the campaign funds will be earmarked for specific colleges.
| College | Goal in millions |
| Agriculture | $67.6 | Business | $9.9 |
| Design | $4.1 |
| Education | $3.6 |
| Engineering | $53.2 |
| Family and Consumer Sciences | $16.1 |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences | $24.4 |
| Veterinary Medicine | $7.2 |
| Total earmarked for colleges | $186.1 |
Six years ago, ISU officials incorporated the aspiration of becoming the best land-grant in the nation into the university's strategic plan.
"When we adopted our first strategic plan, many questioned whether our ambition to become the best land-grant university was an attainable goal," Jischke said. "But the progress this university has made in the past six years has made believers out of many."
Forty percent -- or $120 million -- of the five-year goal was raised during the "quiet phase" of the campaign this past year, said Murray Blackwelder, vice president for external affairs.
The early gifts included the $34 million anonymous gift to the College of Agriculture, the 12th largest made to public education in the United States and the fourth largest to a land-grant university as of May. It is the largest ever to Iowa State, Blackwelder said.
"The donors are long-time supporters of Iowa State," Jischke said.
"This gift will have a very significant impact on Iowa State University and on our ability to realize our goal," he added. "All of us at Iowa State and throughout the state of Iowa are very grateful to them."
Leading "Campaign Destiny" as volunteer national co-chairs are Charles Johnson, CEO of Pioneer Hi-Bred International, and his wife Molly.
"This campaign provides alumni and friends throughout the country with a way to help Iowa State achieve its goal of becoming the best," said Charles Johnson.
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