On Campus - Stories June 14, 2002 - Vol. 55, No. 2 Drake raises largest sum ever with Campaign Drake Four new members join Drake Board of Trustees

Campaign Drake, the fundraising effort launched by the University in 1997, has reached its goal of raising $190 million by May 31, 2002.

"While it will be several weeks before the formal accounting is done and we know the exact total, I am delighted to tell you that weíve made it!" said Drake President David Maxwell. "There is no question that the final total will meet - and probably exceed - the goal."

The campaign is the largest ever undertaken by a private college or university in Iowa, and $190 million is the largest amount of money ever raised by Drake University. Drakeís previous fundraising campaign generated $130 million from 1989 to 1994.

Madelyn M. Levitt, a member of Drakeís governing board and a Des Moines civic leader, served as national chair of both campaigns. At a brunch held to celebrate the conclusion of Campaign Drake on May 31 at the Kinne Alumni and Development Center, staff members wore pins that proclaimed "Campaign Drake: Crossing the Finish Line." Levitt, who often parks her yellow Volkswagen bug near Old Main, was presented with a miniature yellow Volkswagen bug that had been autographed by staff members in the institutional advancement office. The little car even sported a yellow daisy - just like the one that Levitt displays in her own car.

"The success of the campaign is compelling testimony to the leadership of Maddie Levitt and the hard work of the advancement staff and of deans and faculty members who participated in the fundraising effort," President Maxwell said. "It is also a reflection of the generosity of thousands of alumni, friends of the University and members of the community.

"Most of all," he added, "the campaignís success is a concrete manifestation of the commitment that our supporters have to the past and present of Drake University, and of the faith that they have in our future. Ultimately, it is all of you that they believe in - it is our faculty and staff who define the experience of every student who passes through Drake, and it is you whom our alumni acknowledge for who they are and what they are able to do. Congratulations to all of us for a successful campaign!"

A weekend of celebration of Campaign Drake is planned for Oct. 4 and 5.
Campaign Drakeís goal of $190 million includes $115 million earmarked for endowment funds, including $30 million for scholarships and financial aid and $15 million for professorships and lectureships. The campaign goal also includes $43.5 million designated for facilities and other capital projects, $16.5 million for special projects and $15 million for annual operating funds.

Four new members have been elected to the Drake University Board of Trustees. They are:

• Richard S. Cusac, LAí63, a strategic business consultant and director of the Learning Forum;
• Paul Leavitt, JOí72, Washington news editor of USA Today;
• Liz Newell, EDí69, vice president of The Integer Group, a Des Moines advertising agency;
• Mary P. Stier, president and publisher of The Des Moines Register and senior group president of the Gannett Midwest Newspaper Group.

Richard Cusac

All four new members will serve three-year terms on the Board of Trustees, which meets four times yearly and serves as the Universityís policy-making and governing body.

When asked what strengths and skills he brings to the Board of Trustees, Cusac said, " I believe my own skills and strengths include disciplined strategic thinking, a global perspective, a team orientation and a strong commitment to action."

He is interested in continuing efforts to improve Drakeís ability to attract a highly motivated and diverse student body throughout the United States and abroad. He also is interested in collaborative learning, synergies of liberal arts and professional education as well as enhancing the performance of student-athletes both in the classroom and on the playing field.

Cusac has held several senior executive positions in both major corporate and small entrepreneurial enterprises during his career, with extensive international experience. He worked for Citicorp for 12 years, serving in senior positions in several countries in Asia and the Middle East. He later served as CEO of The Gulf Bank of Kuwait.

Paul Leavitt

Cusac was a managing director of Merrill Lynch Capital Markets before joining OmniCorp Investments Ltd. in 1988 as chairman and CEO. In 1992, he became head of his private equity capital business and chairman and principal shareholder of Impact Telecommunications Corp. in Spokane, Wash. Since 1995 he has been a strategic business consultant and a director of the Learning Forum. He resides in Incline Village, Nev., and Rancho Santa Fe, Calif.

At Drake, Cusac has served on the National Advisory Board for the College of Business and Public Administration since March 2000. He also participated in Drakeís first symposium on international business in 2000.
Leavitt has been a guest lecturer in news reporting classes in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication and a member of the schoolís National Advisory Board. He also created a faculty development fund and a deanís discretioniary fund for the school.

His key interests at Drake are finances and enrollment. "I want to help Drake meet its potential as a recognized leader in higher education," Leavitt said. "That means attracting high-quality faculty and students with diverse interests and experiences. To do that, we must have the financial means to provide modern and attractive facilities, low student-teacher ratios, liberal scholarship packages and a stimulating environment in which students and faculty can thrive."

Liz Newell

Leavittís experience as a journalist in Washington has given him the opportunity to see first-hand how national leaders grapple with divisive issues. "Iíve come to appreciate the value of coalitions that cross traditional boundaries to move issues forward," he said. "Drake faces significant challenges, particularly when one looks at the demographic trends of our traditional pool of students. Itís going to take innovative thinking to ensure that Drake can meet those challenges."

As Washington news editor at USA Today, Leavitt writes the Capital Roundup and Electionline columns. His overseas assignments have included the 1985 Reagan-Gorbachev summit in Geneva. Prior to joining USA Today, Leavitt was a reporter and editor for The Des Moines Register from 1975 to 1985. He also worked as a news reporter and sportscaster for KCCI-TV and KRNT Radio.

Newell brings to the Board of Trustees more than 25 years of marketing and communications experience. She said she hopes to her experience to "help define and communicate the mission and values of Drake University to the world." Newell also has a keen interest in enrollment at Drake and plans to take an active role in student recruitment and retention efforts.

Newell and her husband, Jack Kragie, LAí65, founded Kragie/Newell advertising agency in 1977. The agency grew from a staff of three to 200 marketing professionals with offices in six cities and blue-chip clients such as McDonaldís, Chevrolet, NAPA, Maytag Corp. and Pella Windows. Newell also influenced Iowaís economy for more than a dozen years in her role as chief strategic marketing partner for the Iowa Department of Economic Development.

Mary Stier

In 1997, Newell engineered the merger of Kragie/Newell with a large Denver-based marketing company called The Integer Group. The merged entity was purchased later that year by Omnicom, the worldís largest advertising agency holding company. Newell continued to run the agency through 2000. She has moved back to her hometown of Chicago with Kragie. The couple established the first endowed Drake Relays race in 1998. More recently, they made a $200,000 gift to Drake to create the Kragie Newell Agora - a gathering place to be built on the north end of Helmick Commons.

Stier brings 20 years of newspaper experience to the Board of Trustees. "In many ways, a university is similar to a newspaper," she said. "As a leader in either institution, we must respect and embrace intellectual freedom while managing the realities of a changing society."

Students are Stierís primary interest as a trustee. "With all the complex dynamics of a university, above all, we must serve students," she said. "I will look for ways in which my skills can serve that mission."

Stier first came to Iowa as a student at the University of Iowa in 1974. She joined Gannett in 1982 as retail advertising manager of The Iowa City Press-Citizen and eventually worked her way up to publisher.

She was named president and publisher of the Rockford Register Star in Rockford, Ill., in 1991. She has been president and publisher of The Des Moines Register since 2000. She also is a member of Gannettís Newspaper Operating Committee, which sets policy for Gannettís newspaper division, and has chaired two Gannett programs on the future of newspapers.

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