The support of ISU faculty and a personal commitment to the success of fellow Iowa Staters led to a $1.2 million donation to the College of Agriculture.

Murray Wise, a 1973 ISU alumnus, said he and his wife, Valerie, are grateful for what Iowa State has done for them and looks at the gift as a repayment.

“Iowa State meant so much to me,” said Wise, founder and CEO of Westchester Group, an agricultural asset management firm in Champaign, Ill.

“It provided me with not only a great agricultural education, but also a cultural experience that’s been the key to my success.”

The donation includes $1 million for capital projects and another $200,000 for scholarships.

Richard Ross, College of Agriculture dean, said these kinds of gifts are essential in the face of university budget cuts.

“Donations are absolutely crucial in a time like this,” he said.

“They provide students with additional scholarships that are necessary to stay in school.”

Wise, 52, said the College of Agriculture scholarships are not criteria specific.

“I would like the scholarships to go to good students who need a break,” he said. “That is more important than GPA or where they are from.”

He said he hopes the scholarship recipients will use their education to benefit people and nature throughout the world.

With recent tuition increases, Wise said financial assistance for students is important.

“That money will make a difference to some aspiring student trying to make something of his or her life,” he said.

The focus of the $1 million estate gift is currently undecided.

“Capital projects are deferred and designated for future use,” Ross said.

The Wises will make the decision as to where the donation will go.

“The college will continue to inform us about what is going on and what is needed,” Wise said. “Someday, something will hit our hearts and that’s what the money will go towards.”

Thomas Mitchell, ISU Foundation president, said the Foundation will do its job to help the money grow.

“The fundamental mission of the ISU Foundation is to secure and manage private gifts which benefit Iowa State,” he said.

The Foundation not only plays a role in managing the money once it is received, Mitchell said, but it also contacts alumni and friends, such as the Wises.

“We work with the university in reaching its priorities,” he said.

“Once we know what those priorities are, we take that information to alumni and friends and ask if they would be willing to help the cause.”

Mitchell said Iowa State’s alumni and friends are great about giving – and Murray and Valerie Wise prove it, he said.

“This is an excellent example of leadership,” Mitchell said. “The Wises stepped forward and provided leadership to assist the university and assist its students.”

Wise, a native of Ontario, said he had a tough time finding a school that would accept him. When he applied at Iowa State, Harold Crawford, professor of agricultural education and studies, received his application.

“Dr. Crawford took my application so seriously,” Wise said. “He negotiated a deal with the dean to let me in on a probationary basis.”

The strict requirements were a motivation to succeed, he said.

The compassion and dedication of its people is what makes Iowa State so great, Wise said.

“It’s the little things that make Iowa State different from any other university in the world,” he said.