Tab Bamford, November 27, 2013

As Iowa prepares to face Nebraska this weekend, Kirk Ferentz will be extra focused on the important rivalry game. Representing the University of Iowa well, on and off the field, is something Ferentz stresses with all of his players, and it?s something he practices as much as he preaches.

On Nov. 15, the Iowa Football Legacy Campaign announced that Kirk and Mary Ferentz made a gift of $500,000.

Since its inception, more than $34 million has been raised for the Campaign, which has a fundraising goal of $35 million that will support two key projects for the Hawkeye football program: a new indoor practice facility (completed in 2012 and already in use), and a new 76,000-square-foot Football Operations Center, which is projected for completion in the summer of 2014.

This generous donation is only the most recent commitment by the Ferentz family; its influence is felt all over campus.

Gifts from the Ferentz family have helped to establish two funds in the University of Iowa College of Liberal Arts and Sciences: the Kirk and Mary Ferentz Excellence and Innovation Fund and the John and Elsie Mae Ferentz Undergraduate Fellowships for Research, named for Kirk?s parents.

The family?s contributions have also helped start the Ferentz Family Pediatric Research and Education Fund to support academic initiatives at the University of Iowa Children?s Hospital.

Mary Ferentz serves as chair of the University of Iowa Children?s Hospital Council, a group of community and business leaders dedicated to helping the hospital become one of the best pediatric medical centers in the nation.

Earlier this year, BTN LiveB1G featured another UI program that is making an impact on the community in and around the university with support from the Ferentz family.

For more information about the Iowa Football Legacy Campaign, or any of the other great initiatives on the University of Iowa campus, go to: http://www.uifoundation.org/