ISU graduates benefit from corporate involvement with the university in many ways, one of which is by getting a job.

Three agricultural companies — Monsanto Co., Pioneer Hi-Bred International lnc. and Cargill Inc. — are among the largest contributors and employers of ISU graduates in agriculture-related fields.

Jason Menke, ISU Foundation assistant director of communication, said the companies currently employ 1,402 ISU graduates, half of whom are from the College of Agriculture.

They also employ graduates from the schools of Engineering, Business and Design. Not included in these figures are ISU graduates who are employed by parent companies.

“It’s difficult to quantify a return for students, but the general sense is that Iowa State enjoys very strong support with those companies,” said Rich Bundy, ISU Foundation executive director of development for agriculture.

There are two general ways for companies to give to the university — gifts and grants.

Gifts, which come in through the foundation, come with no expectation of returns, Bundy said. Grants support research intended to lead to patents, hardware or copyrights.

Cargill gave two intellectual property gifts to Iowa State valued at more than $16 million during the fall of 2002: an enterprise software system and a crop forecasting system. The gifts were split between the College of Agriculture and the College of Engineering. Cargill also gave $100,000 in funding assistance to defray start-up costs and cover patent application fees. The company sees this as a small part of its 40-year commitment to Iowa State.

Cargill currently employs 436 ISU graduates, 188 of whom are from the College of Agriculture.

Agriculture students are expected to have three internships before they graduate and are encouraged to diversify their job and company experience, said Mike Gaul, director of career placement in agriculture career services.

“You don’t want to put all your eggs in one basket,” Gaul said.

In the most recent data available for the 2002-2003 school year, 89.8 percent of College of Agriculture undergraduates seeking employment found jobs in their field, most of which were in Iowa. Employment rates have fallen from a high of 94.9 percent for 1997-1998 graduates to roughly 90 percent every year since.

This is based on survey data taken within six months after graduation.

Gaul said current starting salary for a graduate with a bachelor’s degree ranges from $35,000 to $40,000 a year.