An anonymous Iowa State alumni couple donated $5 million to establish the Jamie and Ellen Pollard Endowed Director of Athletics fund. The donation gifts the Pollards a permanent position honoring their exceptional service, vision and impact on Cyclone Athletics.
As the couple wishes to remain anonymous, they established a fund to honor the values that Pollard has incorporated into the Iowa State Athletic Department: visionary leadership and an unwavering pursuit of academic and competitive excellence.
“Under Jamie’s [Pollard’s] guidance, the athletics department has expanded opportunities for student-athletes and fostered a culture defined by character, resilience and high performance,” the anonymous donors said in an Iowa State statement. “By making this a permanent endowed fund, we sincerely hope to inspire future athletic directors to lead with courage, clarity and purpose — always placing student-athletes at the center of the mission and advancing the institution with the same passion and integrity demonstrated by Jamie [Pollard] and Ellen [Pollard].”
Per Iowa State Athletics, the couple’s gift will be used to support student-athletes’ academic success, competitive excellence and holistic development, in addition to assisting the department in successfully navigating the changing landscape of college athletics.
The donors also wish that the donation be used to enhance the department’s overall capacity to attract and retain the coaches and staff dedicated to student-athletes’ overall success.
“Ellen [Pollard] and I are deeply humbled by this extraordinary and unexpected honor,” Jamie Pollard said in an Iowa State statement. “We are also excited for what this gift means for the future of Cyclone Athletics. This endowed position is a profound investment in our student‑athletes, whose dedication and character define who we are as a department. With the support of this generous alumni couple and Cyclone fan base, we are confident the athletics department will continue to remain an environment where young people are empowered to excel academically, compete fiercely and grow into leaders who will shape their communities and professions.”
Introduced as the new director Sept. 19, 2005, Pollard marks the Cyclones’ 14th director of athletics. Throughout the years, Pollard became Iowa State’s longest-tenured director of athletics and the nation’s second-longest serving active Power 4 director of athletics.
