In 2012, Iowa State began quietly fundraising through a campaign called Forever True, for Iowa State in an effort to reach $1.1 billion. This campaign aimed to rally scholarship funds for students, support faculty and improve facilities and programs on campus.

Their goal was to raise $1.1 billion by June of 2020 to give more support for a quickly growing school. On Monday, Iowa State announced that the Forever True, for Iowa State program has already exceeded that goal — two years ahead of their schedule.

As the president of Iowa State, one of Wendy Wintersteen’s responsibilities is to bring in donors to the university and elevate the Iowa State name. However, as amazing as the fundraising campaign is, the issue of lagging higher education funding still remains. How far will $1.1 billion go if each year the Iowa Legislature annually reduces funding to its Regent institutions?

Rather, exceeding the fundraising expectation two years in advance is reflective of the changing times in the higher education realm. No longer is the state expected to put forward the funding to support its institutions that help build and retain its workforce, but rather that burden is placed on the backs of students and their families.

It is clear the university has recognized this as a issue and is now taking steps to alleviate some of the financial burdens, yet time spent fundraising should not be deemed as the sole solution.

It was brave of Iowa State and the University of Iowa to call out the legislature for its recent drop in ranking by U.S. News and World Report earlier this semester.

If the universities are honest about what the continued disinvestment means to its students, its faculty, its infrastructure and its name, then perhaps the Regents can get back to a place of priority in the budget.

We wouldn’t leave fundraising as the only thing supporting this university, same as we wouldn’t use tuition as the only thing supporting our professor’s salaries. There needs to be more ways to fund current and future students and all that it takes to run a university, and it needs to begin with the legislature.

It is encouraging that the Forever True, for Iowa State campaign is continuing to raise funds with an aim to bring the total funds raised to $1.5 billion by June 2021 and students should be thankful to all of the donors who have helped and will continue to help this institution.

However, financing an institution through fundraising should not fall on alumni just as rising tuition costs to make up for lagging state dollars should not fall on the students. For Iowa State to succeed, it needs the continued financial support of the state of Iowa.