Philanthropy Talks Video Archive


Each spring and fall, an Iowa alum or friend returns to the University of Iowa to share their story about how they give back and empower others. These programs inspire students and the broader campus community to incorporate philanthropy into their lives. Learn about other student philanthropy opportunities available on campus.

Hawkeyes Give Back: Children's Medicine Champion Featuring Jerre Stead

Jerre Stead (65BBA, 11LHD) is a visionary business leader whose transformational support helped build University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital. Learn about how he and his family are connected to the Hawkeye Wave and give back through philanthropy, volunteering, and leadership.

Hawkeyes Give Back: Combating Climate Change

Through research, education, and advocacy, Hawkeyes are responding to a growing environmental crisis. Watch the video of this previously recorded virtual event to hear how University of Iowa professors Gregory Carmichael and Jerald Schnoor are giving back to combat climate change.

Hawkeyes Give Back: Philanthropy for Social Change

Hear how community engagement manager Brett Burk (14BA), social impact executive Jonathan Chaparro (08BA), underserved populations program supervisor RaQuishia Harrington (05BS), and political activist and writer Stacey Walker (10BA) are using philanthropy for social change.

Fran and Margaret McCaffery

Iowa men’s basketball coach Fran McCaffery and his wife, Margaret, want to help find a cure for cancer. Learn more about their work with the American Cancer Society and Coaches vs. Cancer—and their role in creating a new cancer center for adolescents and young adults at Iowa. Watch their fall 2019 lecture.

Dave Dierks

Dave Dierks (70BA) is one of the most influential members of Iowa’s philanthropy community. Dierks began his career at the University of Iowa Foundation (now the University of Iowa Center for Advancement), where he has worked to garner support for Iowa for more than 45 years. Watch his spring 2019 lecture.

Kathy Dore

Media industry innovator Kathy Dore (72BA, 84MBA) is the senior advisor of vision and strategy for consulting firm Proteus Inc. Dore previously served as president of broadcasting at Canwest Media and president of entertainment networks for Rainbow Media, overseeing cable networks AMC, IFC, WE, and Bravo. She is vice chair for University of Iowa Center for Advancement Board of Directors and has given back to the University of Iowa’s Department of Communication Studies and the Henry B. Tippie College of Business. Watch her fall 2018 lecture.

Mark Kaufman

Entrepreneur and philanthropist Mark Kaufman (86BS) is the founder and president/CEO of Athletico, one of the largest physical therapy franchises in the nation. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Athletic Training and Physical Education from the University of Iowa in 1986. After earning secondary degrees from the University of Arizona and Northwestern University, Mark opened the first Athletico clinic in August 1991. Watch his spring 2018 lecture.

Andy Code

Entrepreneur Andy Code (80BBA, 81MBA) is the founder and chairman of Promus Capital and Promus Equity Partners, a multifamily office created in 2008, with a concentration in alternative assets such as private equity, impact investing, hedge funds, managed futures, and real estate. He also established CHS Capital—a $2.9 billion private equity fund—in 1988 and was a partner there for 24 years. Watch his fall 2017 lecture.

Sheri Salata

Media powerhouse Sheri Salata (80BBA) is the former executive producer of The Oprah Winfrey Show and the former president of Harpo Studios and the Oprah Winfrey Network. Salata’s latest professional venture is the launching of STORY, a media company that produces print, television, film, and digital content. Watch her spring 2017 lecture.

Ted Waitt

Sioux City native Ted Waitt (17LHD) is the founder and chairman of the Waitt Foundation. At 22, he co-founded Gateway 2000 Inc., where he helped revolutionize the direct marketing of personal computers, and he became a Fortune 500 CEO and member of the Forbes 400 by the time he was 30. Since his retirement from Gateway in 2004, he has gone on to form multiple business and philanthropic enterprises. Watch his talk from fall 2016.

P. Sue Beckwith, M.D.

Renowned physician and philanthropist P. Sue Beckwith (80BS, 84MD, 15MBA) shared her personal and professional journey and spoke about why she is deeply committed to supporting the University of Iowa. Watch her talk from spring 2016.

John Pappajohn

John Pappajohn (52BSC, 10LHD) is a leading philanthropist and nationally celebrated entrepreneur and business leader. He and his wife, Mary, have contributed millions of dollars to state, educational, and fine-arts endeavors in Iowa and beyond. Among the Pappajohns’ many significant Iowa contributions include naming gifts for the Pappajohn Business Building, the Pappajohn Pavilion at University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics, the John and Mary Pappajohn Clinical Cancer Center, the John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center, and the Pappajohn Biomedical Institute in the John and Mary Pappajohn Biomedical Discovery Building. Watch his fall 2015 talk.

Jerre Stead

Jerre Stead (65BBA) is a visionary business leader who has enjoyed a long and illustrious career leading high-tech and information companies. A native of Maquoketa, Iowa, he started out in the business world with the Honeywell Corporation and, during his 21 years with the company, rose from production control planner to head of the firm’s Homes and Buildings Worldwide group. In 1987, Stead left Honeywell for the Square D Company, where he ultimately became chairman, president, and CEO. Watch his spring 2015 lecture.

Henry B. Tippie

Henry B. Tippie (49BSC, 09LHD) is one of the University of Iowa’s most accomplished and generous alumni. Throughout the years, he and his wife, Patricia, have supported important university programs and made a tremendous impact on the university, its students, and faculty. In 1999, in recognition of the Tippies’ visionary giving, Iowa renamed its business college the Henry B. Tippie College of Business. Watch his spring 2014 lecture.

Janice Ellig

Janice Ellig (68BBA) is the co-CEO of Chadick Ellig Executive Search Advisors in New York City and co-author of two books. She also serves as chair of the University of Iowa Center for Advancement Board of Directors. Watch her spring 2013 talk.

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Lou and Jan Crist give back to the University of Iowa program they cherish.

Iowa researchers have a new ally in the battle against cancer: our pets. Iowa State University veterinary oncologist Chad Johannes (right) will team up with UI physicians in the Side by Side in Cancer Research program. As director of the UI?s Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center, George Weiner studies CAT scans. As coordinator for the veterinary oncology program at Iowa State University, Chad Johannes scans cats. Together, they hope to make strides in the fight against cancer, for two-legged and four-legged patients alike. In a new partnership between the state?s premier medical and veterinary colleges, scientists are examining how cancer research in pets can benefit humans?and vice versa. The program, called Side by Side in Cancer Research, has sparked new collaborations between physicians and veterinary researchers whose patients? cancer cases are surprisingly similar. ?Companion animals, and dogs in particular, have more in common with humans than other animal models that have been used in the study of cancer,? Weiner says. ?Perhaps more importantly, we share the same environment. Dogs and cats share the same houses we do, they breathe the same air, and in some cases, eat the same food and drink the same water. That really gives us an opportunity to learn from each other.? George Weiner is director of the UI?s Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center. A visit by Weiner earlier this year to ISU sparked the idea for the partnership. While in Ames to speak at a seminar, he met with veterinary oncology faculty and students and, for the first time, toured a major animal hospital. Weiner was struck by the familiarity of it all: A pharmacy with drugs similar to those being used at Holden, an infusion center for patients, and talk of treatment regimens all-too familiar to doctors in Iowa City. Of course, there were also some surprises: ?I just saw a llama with pemphigus,? he overheard one faculty member say, referring to a skin disease. At the end of his visit, Weiner met with Johannes, who leads ISU?s companion animal oncology program. While UI and ISU cancer researchers have collaborated on one-off projects in the past, the two doctors discussed possibilities for an ongoing partnership in a number of areas. The Side by Side in Cancer Research program soon took shape, including a new fund established through the UI Center for Advancement to support the initiative. Collaborations are already in the works. Holden has been a leader in promising research that shows high doses of vitamin C can be used to attack cancer cells, so ISU researchers have been working with their UI colleagues in recent months to study its effectiveness in veterinary patients. A paper detailing their findings is forthcoming. The two institutions also plan to study the impact of radon, a gas carcinogen, on domesticated animals. While radon is the second-leading cause of lung cancer in humans, less is known about how it affects cats and dogs living in homes with high radon levels. According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, about half of dogs over age 10 develop cancer, and they?re stricken with the disease at about the same rate as humans. Dogs?particularly larger breeds like golden retrievers and Bernese mountain dogs?often suffer from the same types of cancers as humans. These include lymphoma, osteosarcoma, melanoma, and colorectal cancer, which Weiner and Johannes say present an opportunity for comparative studies. Iowa State assistant professor Margaret Musser is among the members of the university?s veterinary oncology team. Treatment options also are similar, with veterinarians often using generic versions of the same cancer-fighting drugs prescribed for humans. ISU will soon open a new veterinary radiation therapy center, which would the first of its kind in Iowa, and recently hired its first-ever surgical oncologist. ?As pets are living longer because preventative medicine is getting better, they?re living long enough that many get cancer,? Johannes says. ?At the same time, many of our clients expect similar levels of treatment options for pets that they might expect for themselves if they were diagnosed with similar conditions.? Johannes says pets? shorter lifespans could allow researchers to evaluate new therapies more efficiently: ?We wished pets lived longer. But could we utilize that compressed timescale to gain information that would be helpful for the development of drugs and therapies on the human side?? Side by Side leaders are in the process of raising pilot funds to launch a new peer review competition in which UI and ISU researchers would pitch collaborative projects, then vote to fund the most promising ideas. They?re also planning visits to and from Ames and Iowa City, as well as a research symposium to exchange ideas. ?By leveraging the strengths of both the UI and ISU, we can maximize the positive impact for the people and pets of Iowa,? Johannes says. ?For many people, pets are part of the family?they?re one team in life. Now they?re on our team in cancer research.? Learn more about Side by Side in Cancer Research and how you can support the program with a donation.

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