Members of the Professional and Scientific Council hope to increase its staff funding by asking staff members and other ISU faculty and staff to make donations in conjunction with Campaign Destiny: To Become the Best.

Campaign Destiny is a five-year campaign to raise $300 million for a wide variety of programs and projects, said Phyllis Lepke, vice president for giving programs at the ISU Foundation.

The $10 million campus campaign effort, called “The Drive From Within,” will benefit the university and display employee support to the alumni and friends of Iowa State.

The money raised specifically for the P & S staff will go into an endowment program that the Office of the Provost has agreed to annually match, up to $5,000.

Associate Provost Edwin Lewis said the P & S Council is the official representative of professional and scientific employees and it works closely with the office on various projects.

“We are interested in supporting the professional development of our staff,” Lewis said.

The increased funds will be added to the P & S development funds that have been available for many years from the Office of the Provost. P & S staff will now have an opportunity to more than triple the P & S professional development fund currently available.

The funds are used to enhance the careers and experiences of people who will in turn strengthen the university, said Jim Twetten, a P & S council member.

The staff has always had requests for more help than the current fund can accommodate, Twetten said.

He said the experience the fund provides is a “win-win opportunity for both the staff member and the university.”