Success could be measured by 10 years of service, the availability of more than $1 million in annual scholarships, or countless plaques and recognition.

For Eric Hoiberg, associate dean of the College of Agriculture, success is marked in relationships.

“Building programs is important, but building relationships is important to build those programs,” Hoiberg said.

After 30 years as a faculty member at Iowa State, Hoiberg will retire at the end of the spring 2005 semester. He came to Iowa State as an assistant professor of sociology and worked his way to an administrative role.

During his term as associate dean, Hoiberg worked closely with community colleges to improve college relationships with them. He also established a stronger student scholarship program and developed distance education opportunities — a feature virtually nonexistent before he started in the position.

“Any success has been a matter of teamwork with great people, including faculty and students,” Hoiberg said.

Hoiberg said he is also proud of the team effort through budget cuts.

“Administration is fun when resources are flowing and you can create new programs,” he said, “but it becomes difficult to maintain a sense of optimism and excellence [during times of budgetary cutbacks]. The college has come out of it very, very well.”

Lee Burras, associate professor of agronomy, said those who work with Hoiberg appreciate his vision and charisma.

“Dr. Hoiberg has a student-centered enthusiasm for learning,” Burras said. “He has asked us as faculty to develop curriculum that is sound and vibrant.”

Hoiberg’s passion for education is a thread that runs through his family. His grandfather was the president of Grand View College in Des Moines, his wife is a retired fifth-grade teacher, and his oldest son is a faculty member at the University of Nebraska-Omaha.

Hoiberg’s focus on students leads him to teach a seminar every fall for Agricultural Excellence Scholars. Allyson Chwee, freshman in agricultural business, is a member of Hoiberg’s current class.

“I appreciate how personal he is,” Chwee said. “He knows me by name.”

Burras said Hoiberg makes time in his schedule for students, whether it be individual meetings, speaking engagements or working personally with student groups.

“I don’t think there’s any doubt about it,” Hoiberg said. “The relationships here are certainly what I’ll miss the most.”

Hoiberg said retirement will give him the opportunity to focus on other relationships.

“The success of a career takes the full support of a family,” Hoiberg said. “The way I’ve approached it is that it’s complementary to get the two in line.”

Hoiberg said he and his wife will travel to visit their three sons and six grandchildren. They will feed their love of sports by watching their son, Fred, a former Cyclone basketball player, play basketball with the Minnesota Timberwolves or watching the Denver Broncos play on a turf managed by their youngest son, Andrew. Retirement will also give Hoiberg the chance to pull his mandolin from the closet, a gift from his sons so he could learn to play bluegrass music with them.