Three long-time Iowa Staters honored with faculty/staff award

Each year the Iowa State University Foundation presents its Order of the Knoll Faculty/Staff Award to individuals who have a philanthropic spirit and who have brought distinction to the university through their work.

The 2009 recipients exemplify this award.

Warren (B.S. ’61 industrial engineering) and Beverly (B.S. ’60 home economics education, M.S. ’70 family environment) Madden and Mark Engelbrecht (B.A.R. ’63 architecture) were honored Friday, April 17, during the Distinguished Alumni Celebration in the Sun Room of the Memorial Union. Warren Madden is vice president of business and finance, while Beverly Madden is the retired director of Iowa State’s Career and Placement Office and a former faculty member in food science and human nutrition. Engelbrecht is the dean of the College of Design.

"We are deeply grateful for their wonderful service as key members of the Iowa State University team," said President Gregory Geoffroy.

Mark Engelbrecht

Under Mark Engelbrecht’s leadership, the College of Design has emerged as the vibrant institutional center for architectural and design education, outreach and research within Iowa and the Midwest. The college has achieved national distinction for excellence, as evidenced by the high national rankings of its principal degree programs.

"It’s been a remarkable tenure here," said Engelbrecht, who will retire later this year. "First and foremost, I’m a designer, and I’m passionate about that. But I have discovered I have skills in other areas."

One of those skills is his fundraising abilities. Two much-needed additions to the College of Design building have been made under his leadership, including a 250-seat auditorium and the 23,000-square-foot King Pavilion — a studio addition currently under construction and largely funded through private donations.

During his tenure as dean, more than $16 million has been raised to support the objectives of the college, and sponsored research funding in the college has increased from virtually nothing to approximately $2.5 million each fiscal year.

But when Engelbrecht was appointed as dean of the College of Design, he was in the dark about fund raising.

"I didn’t even know it was part of the job," he said. "During my interview process, fundraising never really came up. In our search for our new dean, fundraising is at the center of every conversation. I’m not a naturally outgoing person, and I was really nervous about it."

Earlier in his tenure, however, a donor called him and after their conversation sent in a $100,000 gift.

"I thought, 'What can be so hard about this?'" Engelbrecht recalled. "I started to get into it and enjoyed that part of the job."

Warren and Beverly Madden

Over the course of the past 40 years, the personal and working lives of Warren and Beverly Madden melded. These two individuals have served in virtually every professional and volunteer capacity that the university and surrounding community might offer. Since graduating from Iowa State, the Maddens have devoted their time, talent and resources to the betterment of Iowa State.

Warren Madden began his career at Iowa State in 1966 in the business office. By 1984 he had been named vice president for business and finance. In this capacity, he has been an invaluable resource and leader for six of Iowa State’s presidents. During his career on campus, enrollment has doubled, the budget has increased by more than $800 million, and the campus added more than 8 million square feet of building space.

Beverly Madden’s legacy at Iowa State is also diverse and extraordinary. She was one of Iowa State’s very first honors students. While working on her master’s degree, she taught the home management residence course. A College of Family and Consumer Sciences faculty member, she taught in food science for 15 years prior to coordinating the college's career service office and spearheading the college's fundraising efforts. The 15 years prior to her retirement, she served as director of Iowa State's Career Services.

"Iowa State has given both of us the opportunity to do lots of things," Warren Madden said. "This place has played a significant role in our lives. We have been fortunate to be successful and feel that Iowa State should be a recipient of our philanthropy."

The Maddens have taken leadership roles in their philanthropy to Iowa State by supporting many projects on campus, most notably the Palmer Human Development and Family Studies Building; the Jischke Honors Building; renovations of Beardshear Hall, Morrill Hall, and the construction of the gateway to campus; as well as University Museums and the Season at Stephens.

While each of the projects is special to the Maddens, the Beardshear Hall project holds a special meaning since they both had offices in the building. The couple provided a portion of the funding for the gold leafing that adorns the structure’s dome.

"Every day I have an opportunity to see the renovations to Beardshear Hall," Warren Madden said. "There are many times I see people touring the building and looking up at the dome and remarking how beautiful the facility is."

"It gives you a certain amount of satisfaction."

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