Ames, Iowa
August 26, 2008
The Monsanto Company has pledged $1 million to enhance the
offices and programs serving students in agriculture and life
sciences at Iowa State
University.
The company's commitment will support the planned renovation of
Curtiss Hall, the building housing the main offices of the
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.
"Agriculture is an industry of constant innovation and dynamic
change that requires world-class education and facilities to
attract tomorrow's leaders today," said Ted Crosbie, Monsanto's
vice president for global plant breeding. "We're pleased to be a
longtime partner with Iowa State University in helping to shape
the industry's future leaders who will help to lead our industry
in meeting the ever-expanding demands for food, feed and
increasingly fuel."
"We are grateful for Monsanto's commitment to provide the best
educational setting possible for our current and prospective
students," said Wendy Wintersteen, Iowa State University's
Endowed Dean of Agriculture and Life Sciences. "Monsanto shares
our vision of creating an environment that reflects the vitality
of agriculture and life sciences for Iowa and the world, and
that conveys the college as an exciting place to study, work and
forge tomorrow's leaders."
The gift will enhance and consolidate space devoted to student
programs into a ground-floor wing of the building. The programs
include student services, career services, study-abroad,
entrepreneurship and marketing and recruitment. In honor of
Monsanto's generosity, Iowa State plans to name the student
services wing of the building for the company.
Curtiss Hall will turn a hundred years old in 2009. Named for
Charles Curtiss, dean of the college from 1902 to 1932, the
building is one of the most familiar and distinctive landmarks
on Iowa State's central campus. Each semester, thousands of
students stream into Curtiss Hall to attend classes in the
400-seat auditorium and smaller classrooms. Besides serving the
administrative needs for the College of Agriculture and Life
Sciences, it also houses the Iowa Agriculture and Home Economics
Experiment Station and Extension to Agriculture and Natural
Resources, plus several other departments, centers and programs.
The cost of the Curtiss Hall renovation currently is estimated
at $11.5 million, which will be provided through private
fundraising and university resources. Although a timeline for
the project has not yet been determined, initial work could
begin in 2009 or 2010.
The Monsanto Company gift is part of Campaign Iowa State: With
Pride and Purpose, the university's $800 million fundraising
effort that was publicly launched last October.
Monsanto Company is a leading global provider of
technology-based solutions and agricultural products that
improve farm productivity and food quality.
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