The Iowa Stater
May 2001
Return to index
Making an impact
Their reasons for joining are as varied as their ages, goals and ambitions, but an affinity for Iowa State unites the 3,500 members of the Order of the Knoll. Founded in 1968, the club recognizes outstanding philanthropic support of the university. Named after the president's residence, the Order of the Knoll is the ISU Foundation's largest and most prestigious donor club. Members receive numerous opportunities to share closely in the life of Iowa State, as well as ongoing information showing the impact their donations make.Order of the Knoll members represent 47 of the states and span each generation. Fifty-eight percent of them graduated from one of Iowa State's eight colleges; the remaining 42 percent are friends of the university.
An early start
John and Joanna Hamilton are two of the youngest members of the Order of the Knoll. Both are 1999 graduates of the College of Business, with double majors in transportation logistics and marketing. They now make their home in Chicago, where John is a business analyst with Diamond Cluster International and Joanna is a purchasing analyst with Quaker Oats."We've chosen to support Iowa State, and particularly the College of Business, because we feel very strongly about the direction the college is heading; the growth and planning that has taken place is very exciting," John said.
The Hamiltons have directed their gifts to undergraduate services, where they saw the greatest opportunity for their support to really make a difference.
"Undergraduate services often goes unnoticed," noted Joanna, "but that office provides benefits to students daily – which is very important to us."
The undergraduate services office coordinates student advising, recruitment, orientation, scholarships and honors curriculum. The office also coordinates the Business Council, which had a big impact on the Hamiltons as students.
"We were both active in the Business Council," John said. "It gave us opportunities to get to know fellow students and to talk about potential careers and looking for a job. We also visited about issues and current events in business. It's a valuable program, and we have very good memories of the time we spent with the members of that group."
The Hamiltons are part of a small group of recent alumni who have joined the Order of the Knoll. Only 29 members of Order of the Knoll graduated from 1990 to 1999. The Hamiltons decided to join as a sign of their commitment to Iowa State and to stay involved in what's happening at the university. One of the greatest benefits associated with being an Order of the Knoll member, the Hamiltons said, is the connection with their alma mater.
More
Doing what's natural (Jean & Edna Hempstead, '26 Ind Engr, '23 Home Ec Ed)The love bug (Roger & RoseAnne Rinderknecht, '64 Ag Ed, '64 modern lang & '69 guid couns)