150 Points of Pride

The Iowa State University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences has a proud and distinguished history. As part of Iowa State's sesquicentennial celebration, 150 points of pride related to the College - accomplishments, discoveries, contributions, highlights, famous and interesting people - will be posted here. These postings will coincide with 150 days of the 2007-2008 academic year, beginning Aug. 20, 2007 and ending May 2, 2008, with time off for the Thanksgiving, winter and spring breaks. Check back each Monday for five new items.

Lee Kolmer

Past deans, from left, David Topel,
Lee Kolmer, Catherine Woteki and
Richard Ross.

Lee Kolmer was dean from 1973 to 1987, during some of the best and some of the most challenging years for American agriculture. A boom in the farm economy in the '70s gave way to the "Farm Crisis" the next decade. Those trends were reflected in enrollment at the College, which also was hit with budget cuts. To counter the cuts Kolmer created a group called "Friends of Agriculture" to lead a drive for increased funds for ag research and the College. The effort concluded with his successor, David Topel, and the addition of $11.3 million in Experiment Station funding. Kolmer is also credited with leading the efforts that established the Center for Crops Utilization Research and the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture and new buildings (Meats Lab, Agronomy, Seed Science and Horticulture). Kolmer recognized the importance of distance education and helped establish the Master of Agriculture program, which begin in 1978, was established during his tenure. Kolmer earned master's and doctorate degrees in agricultural economics in 1952 and 1954 from Iowa State. He left to work for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in Washington, D.C.

Fast Facts: Kolmer was as an Iowa State faculty member and extension economist from 1953 to 1965 and then served in extension administration from 1965 to 1971, when he left to become associate dean of the School of Agriculture at Oregon State University.

David Topel

David Topel served as dean from 1988-1999. His successful conclusion of the "3 x 5" program pumped new money into key areas in the College's budget, including sustainable agriculture, biotechnology, rural development and new uses for ag materials. During his tenure undergraduate enrollment increased every year after the lows experienced during the Farm Crisis, and the College attracted more women and minority students. The College curriculum was revamped with more emphasis on communications, critical-thinking, problem-solving and environmental issues. Topel also led growth in international programs for faculty and students, including new ties with Ukraine, China and India. Topel earned degrees from the University of Wisconsin (BS, 1960), Kansas State (MS, 1962) and Michigan State (PhD, 1965). He returned to the faculty to become emeritus professor of animal science after stepping down as dean and served as the first Ensminger International Chair.

Fast Fact: Topel was a faculty member in Iowa State's animal science department from 1965 to 1979, gaining recognition for his research in pork quality and for his teaching in animal growth and development.

Richard Ross

Richard Ross, for a period during 2000, served as dean of two colleges: Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine. He served as dean for the College of Agriculture from 2000 to 2001. Ross initiated a process of sharpening the College's focus during difficult budget times by increasing the determination to fulfill its mission to Iowans. He convened groups of stakeholders, alumni and friends to discuss the College's future and help guide priority-setting and strategic planning. Ross reinforced the message to internal and external audiences: The College was engaged in making agriculture competitive; improving economic vitality; and taking a broad view of agriculture. He helped increase collaborations between the College and colleagues across campus - food safety, genomics, sustainable agriculture and plant sciences. He earned master's (1960), doctorate (1965) and D.V.M. (1959) degrees from Iowa State's College of Veterinary Medicine.

Fast Fact: Ross served the Iowa State College of Veterinary Medicine as interim dean from 1992-1993 and dean from 1993-2000.

Catherine Woteki

Catherine Woteki became the College's first woman dean on Jan. 1, 2002, after serving as a senior research scientist with the College of Agriculture and Natural Sciences at the University of Maryland and professor of Nutrition and Food Safety at the University of Nebraska. Prior to that she was the first under secretary for Food Safety in the U.S. Department of Agriculture. During her tenure the College completed a state-wide review of research priorities; established new initiatives in animal genomics, food safety and security, risk assessment of genetically modified products, bioeconomy and corn/soybean applied research and extension; emphasized "mission oriented research;" established a new entrepreneurship program for students and faculty; and created the Sustainable Rural Livelihoods Program, that addresses needs in developing countries. Woteki received a bachelor's from Mary Washington College (1969), a master's (1971) and doctorate (1974) degrees in human nutrition from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. She stepped down in 2005 to become global director of scientific affairs for Mars Inc.

Fast Fact:During Woteki's term as dean, the College raised nearly $52 million from private sources. The number of donors more than doubled. FY'05 was the second most successful fundraising year to that point for the College.

Wendy Wintersteen

Wendy Wintersteen with the portrait
of the College's first dean,
Seaman Knapp.

Wendy Wintersteen, who served as senior associate dean under Woteki and interim dean after Woteki's departure, was named dean effective Jan. 1, 2006. Wintersteen came to Iowa State in 1979 as an integrated pest management extension associate and joined the faculty as extension entomologist and assistant professor in entomology in 1988, the same year she earning a doctorate in entomology. In 1990, Wintersteen served as the acting National Pesticide Education program leader for the Cooperative Extension Service of the USDA. In 2007, Wintersteen successfully led the effort to rename the College to reflect its broadened programs. She serves on a national task force (2004-2008) of land-grant university administrators working to ensure stable federal funding for agricultural research, extension and teaching programs nationwide. Wintersteen has forged strong ties between the university and the stakeholders who depend on the research and extension efforts from ISU's labs, demonstrations and programs.

Fast Fact:In 2008, Wintersteen was picked to appear on a calendar titled Women Impacting ISU, which honored students, faculty and staff who distinguished themselves through outstanding accomplishments that have benefited Iowa State.

*Some historic photographs courtesy of the University Archives.

150 Points of Pride Archives