Recruiting with a Flare

When Sarah Clarahan was looking for a college to attend after graduating from high school in Harper, Iowa, she says she had a difficult time deciding where to continue her education.

Members of the Ag Ambassadors meet with prospective students.

During a visit to Iowa State University and the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, however she was able to meet and talk with an Ag Ambassador, a student volunteer who was assisting with the college's recruitment efforts. That conversation helped Clarahan make up her mind to come to Iowa State as a freshman animal science major.

"It was nice to talk to a student and get their advice and point of view of things," said Clarahan, now a sophomore from Harper, Iowa.

So when Clarahan made her decision to attend Iowa State, she decided she would like to return the favor.

"I want to be able to share my experience and decisions I have made with prospective students and how they have helped me thus far," she said.

Clarahan joined the Ag Ambassadors with the thought it would be a volunteer position. This year, however, that changed because of a new scholarship program established through a gift from Dana and Martha Robes of Round Pond, Maine. The Fred Foreman Scholarship for Growth in Leadership Participation recognizes the top volunteers who, like Clarahan, have demonstrated leadership skills in the college and encourage new students to volunteer, particularly in college recruiting.

The scholarship honors Fred Foreman, an emeritus professor of dairy science, whom Dana Robes had as a professor while at Iowa State.

This current academic year, 20 sophomores were selected for the scholarship five receive a $5,000 award while the other 15 received $1,000 scholarships. Next year, the program will expand to include 20 sophomores and 20 juniors. The following year the program will include 60 student volunteers with five receiving a $5,000 scholarship and the rest awarded $1,000.

The Ag Ambassadors assist with a variety of student recruitment projects for the college, including campus tours and visits, off-campus events and shadow days. This program brings high school students to campus for two days. The students stay with the Ag Ambassadors in the residence halls, attend college events and go to classes with an Ag Ambassador.

"The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences is one of the best institutions in this field in the world," said Dana Robes (’67 dairy science). "We need to attract and retain outstanding students from Iowa and elsewhere."

Robes says the couple hopes that the program not only inspires students to volunteer, but also provides them with financial assistance beyond their freshman year.

"Often students may be able to start at Iowa State with the help of freshman-year scholarships but find it too difficult financially to return," he said. "Our scholarships are a way to encourage students to continue studying at Iowa State from their sophomore through senior years."

The Foreman Scholarship was a valuable assistance to Randy Nosbisch, a sophomore agriculture education major from New Hampton, Iowa.

"The scholarships are a great help," he said. "I’m from a small family farm and I’m very grateful for support as well as to be considered a student leader in the college."

The Robes returned to campus last October and were able to meet with the first 20 recipients of the Foreman Scholarship. The couple came away excited about the new scholarship program.

"It was a wonderful reflection of the importance of supporting students," Dana Robes said. "They all spoke and showed a great deal of maturity and leadership. As an alumnus it made me feel very proud of the current students we have."

"They made us feel we have invested our money wisely by establishing this series of scholarships."

Back to top.