9-4-98

Contacts:
David Topel, College of Agriculture, (515) 294-2518
William Meyers, Center for Agricultural and Rural Development, (515) 294-6237
Tim Martin, Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc., (515) 334-6837
Steve Jones, News Service, (515) 294-4778

PIONEER GIFT TO ESTABLISH FACULTY CHAIR IN ISU'S CENTER FOR AGRICULTURAL AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT

AMES, Iowa - Gifts totaling $1 million from Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc., will establish a new economics faculty chair and research program at Iowa State University.

The Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc., Chair in Science and Technology Policy is designed to serve the needs of Iowa and United States agriculture in a global environment, said David Topel, dean of the ISU College of Agriculture.

The chair and research program will be located at ISU's Center for Agriculture and Rural Development. CARD is a well-known agricultural economics center that conducts policy research in areas such as agricultural trade, food and nutrition, and natural resources and the environment. A national search for a researcher to fill the faculty chair will begin immediately.

The chair holder will investigate policies such as public vs. private ownership of intellectual properties and the impact of new technologies in agriculture.

Thomas Phillips, Pioneer Hi-Bred's director of community investment, today (Sept. 4) gave a $250,000 check to ISU President Martin Jischke, bringing the company's contributions toward the chair to $1 million. The gift was provided in conjunction with the ISU Foundation's "Campaign Destiny: To Become the Best," the largest private fund-raising campaign in the history of Iowa State. As of Aug. 31, the campaign had exceeded $270 million of its $300 million goal.

The gift and establishment of the chair were announced today at CARD's annual fall policy conference, "Agricultural Contracts: Freedom or Restraint."

Jischke said the new endowed chair will provide the initiative for a major research program at ISU.

"Appropriate science and technology policy will be more important than in the past for the success of Iowa agriculture and for the growth and development of the agricultural service industries," Jischke said. "The chair and associated research programs will give leadership to the evolving policy debate on roles for the public and private sectors, and more generally, the public and private management of research and development."

The chair will help elevate the capacity and visibility of CARD to better function in a global agricultural environment, according to ISU officials.

"We think the ISU plan to take CARD global can only help focus agriculture on the 'big picture,'" said Charles S. Johnson, Pioneer Hi-Bred chairman, president and CEO. "Pioneer Hi-Bred is pleased to be able to partner with ISU on this important project that will impact agriculture into the 21st century."

"Leadership from this position will benefit ISU's research and extension programs and the companies in Iowa and the Midwest that have led the development of modern agriculture sectors worldwide," Topel explained. "This program also will produce results that guide public and private investments in agricultural science and technology."

Endowed chairs are highly prestigious positions that enhance a university's ability to attract and retain the best scholars. The endowment provides a source of revenue to supplement ISU support for the activities of the faculty member who holds the endowed chair.

"This new Pioneer Hi-Bred chair adds another dimension to our work at CARD," said William Meyers, CARD interim director. "It will deal with cross-cutting issues related to all other CARD public policy research areas."

The chair in science and technology policy is the fourth academic position at ISU endowed by Pioneer Hi-Bred International. The Pioneer Hi-Bred Agronomy Professorship helps young faculty members develop their research programs in the College of Agriculture. The Pioneer Hi-Bred Chair in Agribusiness in the College of Business is held by management professor Max S. Wortman. Plant geneticist Thomas Peterson holds the Pioneer Hi-Bred Chair in Molecular Biology for the study of maize.

Pioneer Hi-Bred also has supported several other priority projects at ISU including the President's Scholarship Campaign, the Seed Science Center building addition, and Women in Science and Engineering, among others.

Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc., (NYSE-PHB) is the world's leading supplier of agricultural genetics and is the leading developer and integrator of agricultural technology. Headquartered in Des Moines, Pioneer Hi-Bred develops, produces and markets a full line of seeds, microbial products and services to farmers, grain processors and other customers worldwide.

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Revised 9/4/98