UW Majors: Business (John) and Education (Tashia)
In 1950, John Morgridge and Tashia Frankfurth were high-school sweethearts in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin.
Five years later, they were both proud graduates of the University of Wisconsin. With their worldly possessions in the back of their Ford, they took off to start their married life in California, already inspired to give back to their alma mater.
“Our first check to the UW was for $5 in 1967,” John said in a 2005 commencement address. “In recent years, we’ve added a few zeros. We are blessed people. It is our need and our duty to help.”
In the 69 years since they graduated, John and Tashia Morgridge have made philanthropic gifts to UW–Madison on an unprecedented scale.
Through their visionary giving, the Morgridges have positively transformed every corner of the UW–Madison campus, supporting new facilities and creating enduring opportunities for discovery, teaching, and public service.
Tashia, who earned her bachelor’s degree from the UW School of Education, also earned a master’s degree from Lesley University in Massachusetts. She launched her early career as a special-education teacher, and after retirement, she continued to teach students with disabilities.
John graduated from the Wisconsin School of Business and earned a master’s degree at Stanford University. He joined the computer-networking firm Cisco Systems in 1988, and under his leadership as president, CEO, and chair of the board, the company grew to become a global tech powerhouse.
Almost 30 years ago, the couple funded an endowment at UW–Madison to create the Morgridge Center for Public Service, which encourages civic engagement and service learning in the spirit of the Wisconsin Idea. They also supported a major renovation of the center’s first home, the historic Red Gym.
“Tashia and I believe that when public service is done well, everyone benefits,” John said on the 10th anniversary of the Morgridge Center in 2007.
In the decades since, the Morgridges have made ongoing gifts to support the UW’s academic excellence, technological advancements, and educational opportunities for students from around the world.
In 2004, their gifts launched the Morgridge Institute for Research — an on-campus, nonprofit home for privately funded biomedical research and public engagement, affiliated with the taxpayer-supported Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery.
That same year, they made a generous gift to renovate and expand the School of Education building, where Tashia has served on the board of visitors.
Keeping their commitment to educational opportunity, the Morgridges also created an endowment to launch the Fund for Wisconsin Scholars (FFWS). The private, nonprofit foundation provides grants and stipends to graduates of Wisconsin public high schools who go on to attend Wisconsin public colleges and universities. Since 2007, FFWS has awarded more than $140 million to more than 28,200 students from low-income backgrounds. Some 3,500 FFWS scholars have graduated nearly debt-free.
In 2014, the Morgridges made a gift to UW–Madison that was then the largest single contribution from individual donors in the UW’s history.
That generous gift continues to help recruit and retain world-class UW faculty through matching funds for new and enhanced professorships, chairs, and distinguished chairs. In 2020, the couple contributed another gift in matching funds to inspire other donors to support faculty recruitment and retention.
And in 2021, the Morgridges stepped up to make a lead commitment of $125 million for the new School of Computer, Data & Information Sciences (CDIS). Their gifts and challenge grants supported construction of state-of-the-art facilities for CDIS, a high-tech hub where students and scholars work at the intersection of technology and humanity, advancing fields such as artificial intelligence, nanotechnology, and data science.
“This is an investment in UW–Madison and the state of Wisconsin that will help secure their place in our shared future,” John said.
The Morgridges’ ongoing financial support for UW–Madison reflects their 2010 commitment to the Giving Pledge, signed by several prominent philanthropists who intend to share most of their wealth through giving during their lifetimes.
“We’re not leaving it to someone else to give away,” John has said. “We’re going to do it.”
As the Morgridges support excellence across the UW campus — from computer sciences and literacy to economics, geoscience, health systems innovation, pediatric nursing, and more — they also make time to celebrate their relationship with the UW and with one another.
“We never talk about just John Morgridge or Tashia Morgridge,” Tashia once said. “We have been partners all the way along.”
Both Tashia and John have received honorary degrees from UW–Madison. The couple even celebrated their 41st wedding anniversary with a pair of faculty chairs — they gave one another the gifts of named chairs in the UW Department of Computer Sciences and the School of Education. “I have been invigorated by the engagement both John and I have been able to have here at the university,” Tashia has said. “It has allowed us to be involved with young minds, to be lifelong learners, and to share our insights and wisdom with others.”