Our Haute 100 list details the accomplishments of the most influential people in each of our markets—Miami, New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. These people continue to make moves, so rather than waiting for the next Haute 100 issue to come out, we thought we’d provide you with regular updates on those Haute 100 members who are making headlines. University of Wisconsin-Madison alumni John Morgridge and his wife Tashia donate millions to their former institution.
John Morgridge
Category: Billionaires
Company: Cisco Systems
Industry: Technology
What Makes Him Haute: John Morgridge joined Cisco Systems Inc. in 1988 as president and CEO (today he is chairman emeritus) and grew the company from $5 million in sales to more than $1 billion, and from 34 employees to more than 2,250. During his tenure, Cisco became the worldwide leader in networking for the Internet, with more than $25 billion in revenues and some 47,000 employees in 77 countries.
What Makes Him Haute Now: Most people leave college and never look back. But a few graduates, like John Morgridge and his wife Tashia, honor their university with a donation. The Morgridges, both alumni of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, gifted the university $34 million for the remodeling of the Education Building on Bascom hill.
This week the School of Education is hosting a special American Education Week program to celebrate the reopening of the Education Building. As a highlight to the celebration, the building will be rededicated with a special thank you to the Morgridges. As if that weren’t enough, next month the Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery building is set to open. The Morgridges donated $50 million for the construction of the Discovery building, which boasts state-of-the-art research labs, a glass atrium, a wall that is a giant high-definition touch screen and a “Mesozoic” garden. The building could house important discoveries in human health in ares like stem cell research, virus studies, new medical instruments, home health care and more. The Morgridges must know that the best way to show gratitude for your education is to regift it.
News
November 16, 2010Fresh Scents
