Kevin Kimle, the new Rastetter Chair in Agriculture Economics at Iowa State University, is congratulated by Bruce Rastetter during a medallion ceremony in Kimle's honor.

Medallion Ceremonies Coming Fast and Furious

During the planning for Campaign Iowa State: With Pride and Purpose, particular focus was given to increasing the number of endowed faculty positions at Iowa State University.

The goal, in fact, was to double the number of such faculty posts from 75 to 150.

“I can’t overemphasize the importance of having outstanding faculty members to carry out Iowa State’s mission,” said Iowa State University President Gregory L. Geoffroy. “We must recruit and retain the very best faculty. It is the key to enhancing our academic excellence in strategic areas.

“Endowed faculty positions are critical to this effort and provide additional resources to support these top scholars and educators. It helps them become even more effective in their research efforts and in the classroom.”

To date, Iowa State benefactors have established 60 additional endowed chairs, professorships and fellowships during Campaign Iowa State.

And this fall, numerous medallion ceremonies have already been held. During the ceremony, the holder of the endowed faculty position is given a medallion as a symbol of their high position. The donor of the endowed faculty position is presented a replica of the medallion.

“These are very prestigious positions,” Geoffroy said. “They enable us to not only seek out national and international scholars to join us at Iowa State, but also to recognize the stars we already have on our faculty and keep them on campus.”

Close to a dozen medallion ceremonies have occurred or are scheduled this fall on campus. Some, such as the Bruce Rastetter Chair in Agriculture Economics, are being used to attract new faculty to campus. Kevin Kimle in the Department of Economics was installed as the Rastetter Chair in a ceremony held in mid-September.

“Entrepreneurship is very important to our educational programs in the college,” said Wendy Wintersteen, Endowed Dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. “With Bruce’s generous support for this endowed chair, we hope to take away some of the mystery surrounding entrepreneurship and focus on the skills, passion and determination students need to shape their future.”

In his new role as the Rastetter Chair, Kimle will work to further develop the initiative’s undergraduate programs and expand curriculum offerings in agricultural economics.

“Without the funds provided by the Rastetter Chair, we wouldn’t be able to develop the new strategies that we believe will make our agricultural entrepreneurship program the best in the nation,” Wintersteen said.

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