Morgridge Match Spurs Rapid Growth

Bill Cronon holds the Frederick Jackson Turner and Vilas Research Professorship in History, Geography, and Environmental Studies

The alumni who attended Wisconsin Ideas events in Naples and Milwaukee know that a Bill Cronon talk is a real treat. Cronon wowed the crowds when he spoke about the history of UW-Madison.

Cronon is the UW’s Frederick Jackson Turner and Vilas Research Professor of History, Geography, and Environmental Studies. His resume boasts an impressive list of achievements: he presided over the American Society of Environmental History, he was the general editor of the Weyerhauser Environmental Books series for two decades, and he’s the author of dozens of articles, books, and reviews. And campus is in his blood — he’s a 1976 graduate, and his father, E. David Cronon, was dean of the College of Letters & Sciences from 1974 to 1988.

So Cronon is more than just the UW’s Turner and Vilas professor. But that title is important. Named chairs and professorships help the UW attract top teachers and researchers. (Cronon had been on the faculty at Yale University before he came to Madison in 1992.) These endowed positions help fund opportunities for innovation in classrooms and labs.

This is why the UW community was so excited when, in November 2014, John and Tashia Morgridge announced a matching gift of $100 million to inspire the creation and funding of more endowed chairs and professorships.

Made public during the Foundation’s Van Hise Society dinner, the Morgridge Match gift had an immediate and electrifying effect. Across the alumni community, donors saw the chance to leave their mark by establishing and supporting important faculty positions. And across campus, people saw the opportunity to make Madison an attractive destination for top researchers and educators long into the future.

Within seven months, donors had created 122 new funds for professorships, chairs, and distinguished chairs, and they had increased funding for 47 existing faculty endowments. The first great gift of the campaign is already helping to change the face of UW-Madison.

The gift, John Morgridge said in a speech to alumni, is about ensuring that the University of Wisconsin remains one of the world’s best institutions. “We want to be sure,” he said, “that when our granddaughter trudges up Bascom Hill in January, it’s to go to a damn good school.”