$2 million donation focuses on scholarship, sustainability

As a part of the University of Northern Iowa's "Imagine the Impact" campaign, a movement to raise $150 million for the school, Connie and Russell Wasendorf have donated $2 million to be used for athletics program scholarships.

The Wasendorfs' pledge is the university's largest ever one-time, unrestricted gift. After repeated attempts, the Wasendorfs didn't return requests for comment.

Troy Dannen has been UNI's director of athletics since May 2008. A former graduate of the university with a bachelor's degree in public relations and a journalism minor in 1989, Dannen was excited to return to the university as the director of athletics and make a difference at UNI.

His job comes with both rewards and tough decisions, especially in the light of recent budget cuts.

He sometimes acts as both a facilitator for the donors and a delegator for their use. Dannen has had personal contact with the Wasendorfs through the donation process,

The Wasendorfs' donation is monumental to UNI, not only for its size, but because it's unrestricted. Most substantial donations to UNI are restricted in nature, meaning they have a very clear and defined focus for use, like Richard Jacobson's earlier donation, which went to UNI's Human Performance Complex.

This isn't to say that the Wasendorf donation lacks intention. The money cannot be spent in just any way. For example, it is not to be used to sustain the operating budget or any day-to-day expenses.

"I think it's important that everybody understands that while operating budgets are impacted by the cuts that are going on, the money that we're raising through the Wasendorfs' gift and other gifts isn't about making up the gap in the oper-ating budget," said Dannen.

"It's about getting us into a position where we have an endowment, so that as cuts are made going forward, we're able to sustain the level of program we have, without having to get into a position like last year where we might have to lose sports.

"This isn't a gift that's going to allow us to bring baseball back," he continued. "It's not a gift that's going to allow us to bring back men's tennis or men's swimming, which were also dropped in the last decade."

The money will primarily be used for scholarships to maintain UNI athletics' level of excellence. Dannen indicated that the donation may also be used for very specific one-time expenses, like meeting the insurance deductible after replacing track equipment damaged during a summer storm.

More than 2,000 people donate to the athletic department annually, many wishing to remain anonymous. Donations are normal in a college environment, with most universities relying on them for sustainability beyond state and tuition funds. From these donors, UNI will sometimes ask philanthropists to contribute in hefty amounts.

"We asked the Wasendorfs for this gift," said Dannen.

According to Dannen, R. Wasendorf wanted his $2 million donation to be made public. In doing so, he hoped to urge others to donate to the program in such trying times.

In the Oct. 4 Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier, R. Wasendorf explained the reasoning behind his donation.

"I am simply paying back, with interest, the financial aid I received while attending UNI," R. Wasendorf said. "I feel, without that financial aid, I would not have received a quality college education. Connie and I are proud to make this donation and enhance opportunities for UNI student athletes."

Dannen also discussed the motivation for the Wasendorfs' donation.

"As Russ indicated, the reason he gave the gift is because without scholarship at Northern Iowa, he would have never had his professional opportunities and he wanted to make sure that other students were going to have those opportunities," Dannen said. "He believes in athletics and the role that athletics has in the life of the student. That's where he wanted to focus his gift, was within this direction."

Despite the tremendous positivity and hopes that come with learning of a new donation, Dannen wants everyone to be realistic about the Wasendorfs' gift.

"A lot of people think we're not going to have budget problems because of the gift. If you operate it that way, two years from now, when that money's gone, you have nothing. You just prolong your issues," Dannen said. "We have to address operating budget issues now, in a permanent way, and build an endowment to sustain us long term."