2-19-98
Contacts:
Mark Engelbrecht, Design, (515) 294-7427
Stacy Cullison, Design, (515) 294-6984
Dalene Abner, ISU Foundation, (515) 294-8681
Steve Sullivan, News Service, (515) 294-3720
ARCHITECTURE ALUM CONTRIBUTES $650,000 TO ISU DESIGN
COLLEGE
AMES, Iowa -- An Iowa State University architecture alumnus has made a private contribution that will significantly enhance a capital project at the ISU College of Design.
In making the gift, which includes a $50,000 cash gift and a $600,000 deferred gift, John Rogers issued a challenge to 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," said Rogers.
Rogers, who earned a bachelor's degree in architecture in 1973, is president of Westchester Capital Management, an investment firm in Omaha, Neb. Originally from 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 institutional funding for the College of Design project, while another $1.33 million has been provided through gifts to the ISU Foundation. The private funds are being secured through Campaign Destiny: To Become the Best, aligned with Iowa State's strategic plan to become the best land- grant university in the nation. The largest campaign in ISU history has a five-year goal to raise $300 million. Since it began in 1995, the campaign has generated more than $236 million in outright and deferred contributions.
For the Campaign Destiny design 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," said Engelbrecht.
Features of the capital project include:
- A 250-seat auditorium for large group coursework
presentations and other college and university events.
- Development of an exterior plaza and improvements to the
college's atrium. The atrium improvements will focus on upgrading
existing spaces to provide long-term, secure display of student
and faculty work. The improvement also will upgrade design project
review areas.
- Creation of 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 incorporated within space that Design
utilizes in the Armory, a building near the college.
- Construction of additional studio and shop space, and
development of electronically enhanced graduate studios clustered
around a new college Visualization Laboratory.
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Revised 2/19/98