The $1.5 million gift from Steven G. King and Susan Boren King will Advance Iowa State University’s Department of Landscape Architecture
AMES, Iowa – Steven G. King and Susan Boren King of Wayzata, Minnesota, have provided a $1.5 million gift to establish the Steven and Susan King Landscape Architecture Excellence Fund in the Iowa State University Department of Landscape Architecture to support learning experiences and cultivate future generations of environmentally minded industry leaders in landscape architecture.
“The transformational power of this gift will elevate the experience of students and faculty in the Department of Landscape Architecture to new levels of excellence and leverage their work to shape our collective future,” said Luis Rico-Gutierrez, dean of the College of Design. “We are forever thankful to Steve and Sam King for their selfless generosity and their strategic investment in the future of the landscape architecture profession.”
The Steven and Susan King Landscape Architecture Excellence Fund will be used to further support Iowa State’s top-ranked landscape architecture programs as the department works to achieve its mission to prepare the next generation of landscape architects and scholars who are reinventing the relationship between people, land and technology. The fund will help create a dynamic intellectual environment that fosters the highest quality of teaching, learning, creative activity and engaged advocacy within the college, across the university and beyond.
In particular, the Kings’ generous gift will help faculty develop new experiences for students, increase place-based learning opportunities and continue expanding the Traveling Savanna studio. The studio is a semester-long course during which sophomore landscape architecture students travel across the Savanna Region of the United States, from Montana to the Gulf of Mexico, visiting and studying a range of landscapes, from urban city plazas to rural locations and national parks.
The department will also be able to develop new programs, such as a lecture series bringing global experts to Iowa State, and provide opportunities for new partnerships. Finally, the fund will help support faculty as they continue with their research and develop creative opportunities to expand their scholarly work.
“Steve and Sam King have cultivated a deep understanding and compassion for Iowa State’s Department of Landscape Architecture,” said Carl Rogers, chair of the department and associate professor of landscape architecture. “The department is honored by the Kings’ gift, and recognizes that it will support the future of the department, including faculty and students. The commitment to the department by the Kings’ is exceptional, and their gift shapes how the department sees itself advancing into the future.”
Steve King received his bachelor’s degree in landscape architecture from Iowa State University in 1968. He founded Landscape Structures, Inc., a playground design and manufacturing firm based in Minnesota that has installed more than 80,000 playgrounds worldwide. King developed the idea for the company while a student at Iowa State. He currently serves as chairman of the Landscape Structures’ board. Susan (Sam) is the owner of Tillium Advisors, which provides governance expertise to clients, and is a consultant and retired partner with Spencer Stuart, a global executive search and leadership consulting firm.
“It is such a joy for us to share our success and to know that we have helped to make a difference for the faculty, staff and students in the department,” Steve King said. “We hope that our support will help the Department of Landscape Architecture achieve an even higher level of competitiveness nationally.”
The Kings made their gift through the Iowa State University Foundation, which is a private, nonprofit organization committed to securing and managing gifts that benefit Iowa State University.
Contacts:
Carl Rogers, chair of the Department of Landscape Architecture, Iowa State University College of Design, 515.294.5334, rogersc@iastate.edu
Elaine Watkins-Miller, communications, Iowa State University Foundation, 515.294.1005, ewmiller@foundation.iastate.edu
Posted: October 26, 2021