On Apr. 3, 2006, UW Madison alumni John and Tashia Morgridge pledged $50 million – the largest individual gift in the university’s history – to support a public-private partnership to develop the Wisconsin Institutes of Discovery. Morgridge was formerly chair of Cisco Systems.

The Morgridge donation was matched by the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF), together providing a $100 million boost to the building project, which brought together scientists from a broad spectrum of disciplines to attack the problems of disease, advance regenerative medicine and solve other important problems. The gifts from the Morgridges and WARF, along with a state contribution of $50 million advocated by Gov. Jim Doyle and approved by the State Building Commission, will help make possible two institutes – one private and one public – on the 1300 block of University Avenue.

Tashia Morgridge, a retired special-education teacher, underscored the importance of the facility for Wisconsin students, from grade school through graduate school. “This will be a center for innovative teaching and learning, where university students will work not only in research teams, but with K-12 students in special outreach programs that will help grow tomorrow’s scientists,” she says.

The private institute, to be called the Morgridge Institute for Research, will encourage collaboration with industry and enable the institute to respond more quickly to capitalize on scientific opportunities as they arise.

The public institute will serve the campus community as a source of cutting-edge research and technology, and provide another venue for breaking down walls between disciplines and finding creative new ways to attack scientific problems.