Groundbreaking ceremony for Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery planned
Gov. Jim Doyle and University of Wisconsin–Madison alumni John and Tashia Morgridge will join the UW–Madison community at 1:30 p.m. on Friday, May 2, to celebrate the start of construction of the Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery.
Hosted by the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF), manager of the building project, the groundbreaking ceremony will take place at the construction site on the 1300 block of University Avenue. Attendees should enter the site on University Avenue across from university parking Lot 20.
The event will feature several speakers, including UW–Madison Chancellor John Wiley, Doyle and the Morgridges. Following the speakers, a "Breakthrough to the Future" activity, photo opportunity and light refreshments will follow. The ceremony is expected to last about 45 minutes.
The Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery is being made possible by a $50 million gift from the Morgridges, matched by $50 million from WARF and $50 million from the state. The state-of-the-art research facility — composed of the public Wisconsin Institute for Discovery (WID) and the private, nonprofit Morgridge Institute for Research — is expected to open in 2010.
Ceremony speakers and agenda:
- Chancellor John Wiley;
- Jan Ver Hagen, president, WARF board of trustees;
- Marsha Mailick Seltzer, interim director, Wisconsin Institute for Discovery; director, UW–Madison Waisman Center;
- Carl Gulbrandsen, chair, Morgridge Institute board of trustees and Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery Building Committee; managing director, WARF;
- Gov. Jim Doyle;
- John Morgridge, trustee, WARF and Morgridge Institute; chairman emeritus, Cisco Systems Inc.;
- Tashia Morgridge, trustee, Morgridge Institute; board of visitors, UW–Madison School of Education;
- All speakers, "Breakthrough to the Future Activity" and photo opportunity that will reveal a look at the site in 2010.
