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GO TO: President's homepageAmes Noon RotaryRemarksHotel at Gateway Monday, Jan. 13, 2003 Thank you for the opportunity to bring you up to date on the State of Iowa State University. As president of Iowa State, I visit many communities across Iowa, to spread the word about how Iowa State fulfills its land-grant mission, and about its special role in helping Iowa and Iowans become better, through education, by helping improve their quality of life, and by strengthening Iowa's economy. But I always remember that some of our strongest supporters and one of our most important audiences is right here in Ames. So far, it has been a relatively good year for the university. It will no doubt get more interesting in the next few months, as the legislative session and budget deliberations begin. I'm looking forward to some other "state of" remarks coming up, including Mayor Tedesco's "State of the City" address to you on Jan. 27, and Governor Vilsack's "Condition of the State" address tomorrow. I'm cautiously optimistic about the initiatives and budget proposals that Governor Vilsack will make, and I hope that the legislature will respond well to those proposals. I believe that our state leaders want to keep education in Iowa strong, and that they want to repair some of the damage caused by the severe budget cuts of the last couple of years. I also believe there will be special interest in making investments that will pay off for Iowa's future with a stronger economy -- in spite of the actions of last year, with the budgets for our economic development programs cut by 60 percent, just when those kind of programs are most needed to build Iowa's economy. Since last year, we've met with many of our elected and business leaders. We've stressed the importance of maintaining strong funding for those economic development activities, and we have been encouraged by their response. Many national studies have shown that strong research universities can be powerful drivers for economically successful regions of the country. Examples include Silicon Valley, the Research Triangle in North Carolina, and others. And as a land-grant university, we recognize that one of our very important responsibilities is to help Iowa succeed at a higher level by doing all that we can to strengthen the state's economy. Economic development programs among nation's best I truly believe our economic development programs are among the best and most effective in the nation in making that all-important connection between research and actual economic growth. And I want to focus on that part of Iowa State's mission in my comments today, because of its tremendous importance and potential, for Ames and for all of Iowa. There are three primary components of our economic development efforts. The most important thing we do is produce highly educated graduates with baccalaureate and advanced degrees, graduates who will become leaders in our communities and in our businesses, and who will help shape and develop Iowa's economy. And of course our goal is to have more of those graduates stay right here in Iowa. The second part of our economic development activities is to maintain world-class research programs in areas that are important to Iowa's economy, areas like the plant sciences. These kind of world-class research programs promote economic development in several ways. First, spin-off companies are started by faculty and students working in those areas, using the intellectual property developed in those programs. Second, other companies want to locate near the university where the experts are located, and where the graduates with the expertise that they need and want to hire are being produced. And third, the knowledge that is accumulated and advanced in these world-class programs can promote economic development by being shared broadly across the state where needed. I'll illustrate each of these aspects with some later examples, but first let me summarize the overall state of the research enterprise at the University. I'm pleased to report that this part of the university is very strong and very healthy, as evidenced by the record amounts of sponsored funding being obtained by our faculty. Iowa State set a record with $225 million last year, and we're 7 percent ahead of that pace this year. That works out to an average of over $160,000 per faculty member, much of which goes directly into the local economy in the form of jobs and services. Iowa State's world class programs There are many areas of research where Iowa State is truly world-class and where we're among the national and international leaders. One example is the plant sciences, through the programs in our Plant Sciences Institute. Our goal is to be the best in the world, and in many respects, I believe we're there. Another area is animal sciences. This is an area of historical Iowa State strength, and we were recently recognized as being second in the nation in serving the meat and poultry industry. We intend to strengthen this area even further, with the new Center for Integrated Animal Genomics that was recently established. Iowa State also has a long history of strength in the materials sciences, through the programs in our College of Engineering, the Ames Laboratory, the Institute for Physical Research and Technology, and our physical science departments. There are many other areas where we are truly world-class, such as our non-destructive evaluation program, which is arguably the best in the nation, and others I will mention momentarily. One of the important products of our research, and an essential component for economic development, is our intellectual property. And a recent survey showed that Iowa State ranks among the nation's top universities in the generation of intellectual property. Among all universities, we are: second in licenses and options executed, third in licenses and options yielding income, and 23rd in new patents received. Among the 57 research universities in the survey that do not have medical schools and hospitals, Iowa State ranks: first in licenses and options executed, first in licenses and options yielding income, fourth in patents awarded, fifth in patent applications, and sixth in the number of start-up companies formed. These numbers are truly great, but where Iowa State really shines is in the ability of our faculty, staff, and students to put this intellectual property to work, which is one of the special expectations of a land-grant university and an important measure of our excellence. One indicator we often talk about in terms of putting research to work is the R&D 100 Award. This award is presented annually by R&D magazine to the top 100 technological innovations of the year, with special weight given to their commercial potential. It has been presented for 35 years, and it is highly coveted by industry and more recently by research universities. The Chicago Tribune described them as the "Oscars of Applied Science." Since 1984, Iowa State faculty and staff have received 25 of these awards, which is more than any university except MIT. But, what is the connection between these awards and actual commercialization of technology? I'd like to illustrate with two examples. Profs help commercialize technology Iowa State Distinguished Professor of Chemistry Ed Yeung is one of the nation's top researchers in analytical chemistry. He has received four R&D 100 awards. The latest is for a commercial instrument based on his research that analyzes complex compounds much more efficiently and hundreds of times more rapidly than current methods. Naturally, there is quite a bit of interest in his work by chemical, biochemical and pharmaceutical companies. Three years ago, Prof. Yeung formed the company CombiSep to develop, manufacture and market this instrument. It is located in our Research Park, and has about 20 employees, including eight ISU graduates. Its potential is huge. Indeed, the company expects to double in size and sales by 2004. Another example is the work of Electrical Engineering Professor Doug Jacobson, who received his first R&D 100 award in 2001 for a technology and device called Packethound. It's the product of a company he formed called Palisade Systems that resulted from his university research involving internet security. Palisade Systems is also in the Research Park, currently has 20 employees, and is expanding due to strong demand for products across the country and internationally. These two examples show how individual faculty members can have a significant impact on economic development by forming companies based on their research. However, that potential is magnified when the university focuses its efforts into creating truly world-class programs involving large numbers of faculty. I'd like to illustrate this with four examples. First is our Plant Sciences Institute. Currently, there are 15 companies at our Research Park based on or related to plant research out of Iowa State. We're also part of a very strong nucleus in central Iowa that also includes Pioneer, Monsanto, Kemin Industries, Garst and others. Our goal is to make Iowa the major player in the new bioeconomy, with Iowa State being the major resource in this effort. And I'm confident that will happen. Second is our strong materials research programs in Ames Lab and IPRT. This research has led to the creation of companies like Edge Technologies, and from it, Etrema Products, which manufactures, promotes, and markets Terfenol-D, an alloy with special magnetic properties. The success of Etrema is illustrated by a $5.4 million grant that it recently received from the federal government for further development and commercialization of this product. Third is our Center for Crops Utilization Research, where faculty and students work to develop new products from corn and soybeans, and where Associate Professor Deland Myers developed a technology for making construction adhesives using proteins from soybeans. That led to the formation of a company called Heartland Construction in Oelwein, which is commercializing that work. Closer to home, ExSeed Genetics at the Research Park is here because of Professor Larry Johnson's work in the Center with corn proteins and oils, and his efforts at optimizing it for livestock feed and nutrition. The fourth example is our Virtual Reality Applications Center. Iowa State is truly one of the international leaders in virtual reality, with world-class facilities for research and education. Last year, we received over $3 million in research support, from the U.S. Air Force and companies like Proctor & Gamble, John Deere, Bechtel, and Alliant Energy. Engineering Animation was a direct spin-off from our virtual reality research, and although now part of EDS it still has 250 employees in Iowa. Grad students start Marshalltown company More recently, Mechdyne in Marshalltown was started by four graduate students and currently is the international leader in supplying virtual reality equipment and software to companies and federal agencies. It has $15 million in gross sales and 40 employees, and just merged with its major competitor, giving it a workforce of 100 employees. Mechdyne is keeping its headquarters in Marshalltown to be close to ISU's expertise and facilities, and it is planning for a major expansion over the next few years. Our Research Park has been instrumental in the success of many of these companies, and it continues to grow. Indeed, we have one of the most successful technology-based research parks anywhere in the country. We just opened our fourth multi-tenant facility, which is fully leased and already expanding. The park has supported 120 companies since opening in 1987, and nearly 80% are still in business. Currently there are 50 companies located in the research park, with nearly 1,000 employees. Six new companies joined the Research Park last year and another six either expanded last year or plan to expand this year. Three companies have built or lease buildings at the Research Park: Proliant, EDS (formerly Engineering Animation), and Etrema Products, and another 25 companies have moved out of the park and are now located elsewhere in Iowa, employing another 600 Iowans. This is truly one of the most successful university-based research parks in the country. The third component of our economic development activities involve our programs that connect the expertise of our faculty and staff with companies across Iowa needing assistance--assistance in solving production problems, in improving products or creating new ones, or in solving business problems. Thousands of Iowa companies receive assists from ISU experts Each year, thousands of Iowa companies are assisted by our Small Business Development Center network, the Pappajohn Center for Entrepreneurship, and the several programs through Iowa State Extension and IPRT that connect companies with faculty and staff at Iowa State. As I travel throughout Iowa and speak at local service clubs and with business leaders, I always have a portfolio of examples of local companies assisted by Iowa State, and they are impressive. Iowa State is one of the leading universities in the nation in putting our research to work to strengthen the state's economy and to create new economic opportunity. We give this important aspect of our mission very high priority, and we're very proud of our accomplishments. But we must have strong state support for our economic development efforts if we are to continue this success. I hope Governor Vilsack and our legislators agree, and I would appreciate any help you can provide in working with them in this upcoming session. Indeed, there is a lot more I could talk about when it comes to the "State of Iowa State University." There's our focus on academic excellence, and the new academic initiatives that we are pursuing. There are the outstanding university leaders that we have recently appointed, from department chairs to our new Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost Ben Allen, who will be terrific in the job! There have been some great honors bestowed on our faculty, such as Dr. Herman Blake being named "Iowa Professor of the Year" by Council for Advancement and Support of Education and the Carnegie Foundation for advancement of Teaching. We continue to have success in attracting terrific students. For example, we're now No. 3 nationally among public universities in enrollment of National Achievement Scholars. We have made significant progress on upgrading our facilities, including: dedicating Jischke Honors Building, opening the new Reiman Gardens facilities, opening the new Union Drive residence hall, now named Gordon P. Eaton Hall. Construction is going well on the Gerdin Business Building, Hoover Hall, Carver Co-Laboratory, and Extension 4-H/Youth Building, and all should be completed this year. We will soon start construction of the new Bergstrom Indoor Multipurpose Use and Training Facility, and we have begun efforts to restore Morrill Hall to its former glory, as a new learning center that will "honor our heritage and inspire our future." This is an important personal project for me, and I am taking a strong leadership role in the campaign to raise the $9-10 million needed for its restoration. I'm optimistic about its success. "Town/gown" relationship strong Finally, and something we all should be very proud of, the state of our "town/gown" relationship with the Ames community is as strong as ever, and continues to be one of the best in the nation. The list of what we do together is very long, and getting longer. For example, this great cooperative relationship has been instrumental in the growth of Ames as an important conferencing and events center, as home of Iowa Special Olympics and Iowa Games, and site of major national and international events, such as the Odyssey of the Mind which just signed an extension with us. Now we are looking to expand this effort by increasing the coordination of the two key offices, the Ames Convention and Visitors Bureau and ISU Conference Services, to be even more successful in bringing additional events, visitors and revenues to Ames. These things wouldn't happen without the very strong support for Iowa State by the people of Ames--by its businesses, by its institutions, and by its leaders, and I want to thank all of you for that. Ames is truly a great place to live--a great home for a university that aspires to be the best, and a great place to be a university president. Thank you! GO TO: President's homepage |
Office of the President, 1750 Beardshear Hall, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa 50011 (515) 294-2042, president@iastate.edu Ames, Iowa 50011, (515) 294-4111 Published by: University Relations, online@iastate.edu Copyright 1995-2002, Iowa State University. All rights reserved. |