Your education from the University of Iowa is the most valuable asset you will ever hold. It will provide you with earning power that will sustain you throughout your lifetime, will open unimaginable doors of opportunity, and will provide enduring connections and friendships.

Those of us who are graduates of the University of Iowa share a bond: We all possess UI degrees with the potential to maintain their quality and grow in value. How can we ensure that this happens? By giving to the UI through the UI Foundation.

Regular giving to the university will ensure that this great school continues to attract the best faculty and students and to offer the best programs possible — all of which enhance the value of a UI degree.

Private support benefits all areas of the university, but I’d like to share a few examples of how gifts from generous alumni and friends can help students and faculty in the Tippie College of Business:

• Student scholarships and support: This year, more than 300 students in the Tippie College of Business received scholarship support totaling nearly $447,000. Most of this support came from Iowa’s generous alumni and friends.

• Pappajohn Business Building and Pomerantz Center: State-of-the-art facilities enhance students’ educational experiences. The Pappajohn Business Building and the Pomerantz Center have classrooms equipped with the latest technology and provide comfortable surroundings in which students can study and relax. These buildings were made possible by leadership gifts from prominent Tippie College graduates — John Pappajohn and Marvin Pomerantz.

• Centers and Institutes:

— The goal of the Hawkinson Institute of Business Finance is to facilitate career opportunities for students interested in investment banking, financial services, and consulting. The institute provides a major link among Tippie College faculty, alumni, and students and the worlds of finance and consulting.

— Through sponsorship of various initiatives and activities, the McGladrey Institute of Accounting Education and Research promotes excellence in accounting education and research at Iowa. Among initiatives include the National Speaker Series, the writing excellence program, and a business case competition. The institute also promotes the production and dissemination of Iowa accounting faculty research.

— The Vaughan Institute of Risk Management and Insurance is devoted to providing UI students with the necessary skills to be successful in the insurance and risk-management industry. The institute sponsors prominent speakers from the insurance industry, provides scholarships, and promotes internships.

• Naming of the College of Business: In February 1999, Henry Tippie (1949 B.S.C.), a successful Iowa business graduate, made a leadership contribution to the college in support of its students and faculty. In honor of this very generous gift, the school was named the Henry B. Tippie College of Business. Tippie’s investment supports student scholarships, faculty research, two endowed chair positions, and numerous professorships and faculty fellowships. His scholarships have benefited a large number of business students, as well as students from his hometown of Belle Plaine, Iowa.

I am proud to be the first Henry B. Tippie Research Chair in Accounting. His support has allowed me to remain at the UI when I have had opportunities to move elsewhere.

Being a UI student and graduate — and now a faculty member — I know how important outside support is to maintaining Iowa’s excellence. That’s why I have been a UI contributor for the last 25 years — and I hope you will join me in supporting the university. A gift for Iowa is an investment in your degree and in the future of our great university. Go Hawks!

Dan Collins