Recently deemed the newest president of the ISU Foundation, Roger Neuhaus has no hesitation to hit the ground running here at Iowa State.  

Neuhaus came to Iowa State from the University of Arizona. 

Neuhaus arrived in Iowa with a welcoming Midwestern 25-below-zero windchill on Jan. 23, the day he officially took his title, which was quite a change from warm Arizona. He and his wife Theresa finally moved into their new residence Friday, Feb. 22, after having lived in the Gateway Hotel until their apartment was ready.

As for his first month at Iowa State, Neuhaus has kept up a hectic schedule.

“I’m working about 16 hours a day, but I’m meeting people and getting a sense for the campus and the culture, and it was better than what I’d thought it would be,” Neuhaus said. “I knew this was going to be a really great place.”

Meetings to chat with each of the 105-member staff of the Foundation, all of the deans on campus and cabinet members take a large chunk of Neuhaus’s time.

He also enjoys hosting donors at the men’s and women’s basketball games. Neuhaus says time at the games is “a blast.”

Plans for Neuhaus’s first year include chipping away at the $150 million goal of President Steven Leath’s Student Support Initiative over the next five years. The foundation has already gotten $21 million this year.

“My first year here will involve an assessment of the organization, examining institutional priorities, and putting that all within context for planning for the next comprehensive campaign,” said Neuhaus.

His last position as senior vice president for development and university campaigns at the University of Arizona works as a good preparation for his upcoming responsibilities as foundation president.

Similarities between the titles will be a focus of raising funds from donors, alumni, corporations and foundations. The main difference will be the amount of responsibility entrusted.

“In my last role as senior vice president, I was responsible for the development part of the program,” Neuhaus said. “In my role as president and CEO at [ISU] Foundation, I’ll be responsible for the entire organization, including directly [working] with [the] Board of Directors and President’s Cabinet.”

Neuhaus’s success in past occupations, such as a record-raising year of $181 million at Arizona, can provide assurance to Iowa State.

In a previous interview with the foundation, Leath said, “Roger’s many years of fundraising experience will make him a valuable asset to the ISU Foundation.”

Marla Franklin, ISU Foundation Board Chair, also welcomes Neuhaus to the Foundation family.

“We are very happy to welcome Roger to the ISU Foundation and are very pleased to welcome him back to Iowa.  I look forward to working with him,” Franklin said.

Considering the move from Arizona to Iowa, Neuhaus said the most difficult part of the change is “being 2,000 miles away from my kids for the first time in my life.”

Neuhaus said that he is looking forward to his time here at Iowa State.

“I’m really interested in meeting all of the fantastic people that are the [ISU] family. Everyone I’ve met so far is extremely committed to what they do here,” Neuhaus said.

“Whether they are an employee or a donor, they are very passionate about Iowa State University, and I’m exciting about becoming part of that culture.”