Ceremony Held for Raisbeck Endowed Dean Position

Iowa State University College of Business Dean Labh Hira was installed as the Raisbeck Endowed Dean in a ceremony held Friday, April 17, in the Memorial Union’s Great Hall. The endowed dean position was established thanks to a $3 million commitment from Dave and Ellen Raisbeck from Shorewood, Minn. The endowed fund will provide perpetual funding for college priorities and will be administered by the dean of the College of Business. "

Endowed leadership positions allow administrators to leverage human and financial resources. Endowment earnings provide flexible funds that can be directed to support urgent or emerging priorities. Hira has indicated that funding from this gift will be directed to the College of Business’ new Ph.D. program, which will begin in the fall of 2009.

The Raisbecks graduated from Iowa State in 1971 Dave in industrial administration and Ellen in family and consumer sciences. Dave is currently vice chairman of Cargill, Inc. in Minneapolis, Minn., the second-largest privately-held company in the country. He also serves as an ISU Foundation governor and is on the College of Business Dean’s Advisory Council. In addition to establishing the David and Ellen Raisbeck Dean’s Chair, the couple previously established the Ellen and David Raisbeck President’s Leadership Initiative Award and the Raisbeck Career Services Center.

The gift creating the Raisbeck Endowed Dean in the College of Business is part of Campaign Iowa State: With Pride and Purpose, the university’s $800 million fundraising effort. More than $668 million in gifts and future commitments for facilities and student, faculty and programmatic support have been made to Campaign Iowa State.