UW-Madison relies on big donors to help pay for major projects
Over the past decade, UW-Madison has repeatedly turned to its alumni network to fund major projects like Morgridge Hall, which opened its doors a year ago, and Irving and Dorothy Levy Hall, set to open this month.
The $267 million Morgridge Hall was funded entirely by donors, including $140 million from its namesakes, John and Tashia Morgridge. The building at 1205 University Ave. is home to UW-Madison’s new College of Computing and Artificial Intelligence.
A few blocks east, the $115 million Irving and Dorothy Levy Hall was partially funded by donors, including $20 million from alumni Marvin and Jeffrey Levy. The building at 930 W. Johnson St. serves students and faculty in the humanities disciplines.
The Levys, the Morgridges and alum Bjorn Borgen also provided a combined $120 million in donations for the $420 million Phillip A. Levy Engineering Center at 1430 Engineering Drive, which seeks to increase the capacity of UW-Madison’s engineering school and draw more students. In 2023, Republican legislators withheld funding for the building and then reversed that decision as part of a deal over DEI programming.
