Editor’s Note: “10 Questions” is part of a weekly series in which Daily reporter Nina Fox interviews a prominent person at Iowa State. To suggest a person to interview, send an e-mail to www.daily.feedback.edu. This week’s interview is with Murray Blackwelder, vice president of external affairs. The following is the transcript of his conversation with Fox.

What do you do as vice president of external affairs?

Basically athletics, the Alumni Association, the four buildings of the ISU Center, the ISU Foundation, museums, University Relations and WOI radio report to me. I probably spend 25 percent [of my career] in fund raising, 25 percent in public relations, 25 percent in athletic issues and the rest add up to be the balance.

What are your plans this year as far as fund raising to support the university?

The ISU Foundation is one of nine units that report to me, so I spend probably 25 percent of my time working with the foundation and being the liaison between the president and the foundation.

As you know, the foundation just kicked off a $125 million extension to the $300 million campaign, so the campaign is now $425 million. We have new goals within that $425 million, one of them being a $33 million initiative for the College of Business. That is one highlight.

As far as the campaigning goes, a new project for Global CARD, the Center for Agricultural Research and Development, is a building costing $18 million; we have a $5 million Reiman Garden emphasis. We need to raise $18 million for a new 4H extension building and $2 million for an honors program. These are six of the highlights of what we’re going to do with the next $125 million.

How does the process of fund raising begin?

Take Reiman Gardens, for example — let’s say you decided you want to have a new garden at Iowa State University; you’d develop a project and start out at, let’s say, $1 million. You’d have to then find people who would be interested in giving you that kind of money.

So you’d probably want to do a feasibility study and get some of our horticulture grads, people who you know are interested in beautifying the campus and some of our other major donors.

You’d probably want to talk to 40 or 50 people … and ask them if we build a new garden at Iowa State, would you give? Would you support it? And the people quite frankly tell you exactly what they think.

Either they say, “I couldn’t be less interested; nope, I wouldn’t support you,” or “It might be nice, I’ll give you $1,000,” or “I think that’s wonderful; I’d consider a major gift.”

After you talk to what you think might be your 40 or 50 top people for the project, you add it all up … and you may find they will give you only $100,000.

So, to answer the question, you’d do a feasibility study among your top donors, and that would give you a good idea whether or not the project would be successful or not.

How often do you work with President Jischke as far as fund raising?

I probably talk to President Jischke daily. If it’s not on a fund-raising issue, it will be on an athletic or public relations issue. You can imagine there’s something happening on a daily basis virtually. I work very closely with him.

What is the current situation with the new ice arena?

Last week we told the city and [Vice President for Business and Finance] Warren Madden’s office [that] we have completed the $300,000, so that’s moving forward.

They’re working on an agreement of how they’re going to work together between the city and the university.

So things are moving along on the project; it’s just going to take them awhile to get the architect and to get everything rolling, but it’s on its way.

How do you respond when the students voice their complaints or opinions?

The only issue we were looking at the students about fund raising is that last year the student newspaper talked about the campaign and how much money was coming in — they didn’t see where the students were benefiting.

Whether it’s scholarships, new buildings, endowments to attract professors, it’s all for the students in reality.

You may not see it in your tenure here, but the [students] coming after you will in three or four years.

You have been quoted as leading ISU to some of the best fund-raising years in history. What is the key to your success?

Technically, our fund raising has gone up and has done very well. But the last two years, I haven’t been president of the foundation; Tom Mitchell has.

And the last two years, we’ve hit $100 million in both of those years. So I wasn’t president of the foundation when we hit our top two, I was the person who came in though, and we did take it to that level.

I think the secret to success … is Dr. Jischke. Dr. Jischke loves fund raising, and we do the strategy as far as who makes the calls and how much to ask for.

But if you don’t have a president who enjoys fund-raising and gives you the time, I’m not going to be successful.

I think the No. 1 key to success is to have a president who had a vision and who can articulate that vision, and then our job is to do the strategy and make sure he is successful, and that [donors] say “yes” when he asks. That’s a big part of it.

The other part is after 24 years in doing something, you get pretty good at it.

So it’s just experience, and then obviously, having a good president to work with.

What has been your most memorable or rewarding experience you’ve had while working at Iowa State?

One of the most rewarding ones, of course it wasn’t fun at the time, was when I took Dr. Jischke out to see Christina Hickson. [Hickson] gives the money from the Lied Foundation for the Hickson scholars.

Well, we went out to see her for the first time, and I had done the work and [Jischke] was ready to ask for the $10 million for the National Merit Scholars and she told us no, real bluntly.

She simply said, I’m not interested. I’d be more interested in students who are still smart, but need an opportunity and need an extra help.

So I said, Christina, we’ll come back. So we drew up the plan in the plane on the way back just like she told us that she would support, and we went back, and she ended up saying yes and giving us the $10 million for that program.

Right now, we have 400 Hickson scholars on campus, 100 in each class, and we’re making some differences in people’s lives.

These kids wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for a full-tuition scholarship.

That’s probably the most rewarding. The fun is the day-to-day job … and enjoying it. It’s something new everyday.