Celebrating 30 Years of Service

The Morgridge Center for Public Service is celebrating its 30th year of connecting campus and community.

Launched in 1996 and supported through a generous endowment by UW-Madison alumni, John and Tashia Morgridge, the Morgridge Center has supported thousands of students, faculty and community partners over these years in making a positive difference in the world.

The Morgridge Center is meant to embody the Wisconsin Idea, which anchors on the belief that the university extends its impact beyond the classroom and into communities. The concept of public service remains at the forefront of UW–Madison history and community engagement has always existed as a true reflection of what the university prioritizes and bases its values upon. 

“When Morgridge was created 30 years ago, it was a really exciting time in the world where people were really looking at service and volunteerism as a way to solve serious social problems,” Faculty Director Travis Wright says.

Please join us for our 30th Anniversary Celebration and Open House on Thursday, Oct. 9 from 5 to 7pm at the Red Gym. RSVP to let us know you plan on coming.

Badger Volunteers at the Madison Children’s Museum. The volunteers help make the visitors’ experience at the museum fun, educational and meaningful. Volunteer Coordinator Tim Gruber (left), appreciates having the volunteers be an essential part of their program.

Nathan Larson (right), teaching faculty and community-based learning instructor with the Department of Planning and Landscape Architecture, facilitates a dialogue with his students about the value of green spaces. — Nathan Larson (right), teaching faculty with the Department of Planning and Landscape Architecture, facilitates a dialogue with his students about the value of green spaces. Larson has been a community-based learning (CBL) instructor for over six years.

Max Hsu, a 2024-25 Wisconsin Idea Fellowship recipient presents his group's community project titled, Cultivating Connections, at the Undergraduate Symposium. — Max Hsu, a 2024-25 Wisconsin Idea Fellow, presents his group’s project at the 2025 Undergraduate Symposium. Their project, Cultivating Connections, empowered Asian American college students to guide high school mentees in navigating the complexities of cultural identity.

From the start, the Morgridge Center was built to be a formational hub for relationships between the university and the community. This meant connecting academics with real-world opportunities and preparing students to engage with campus and community during their time on campus, and after graduation. The Morgridge Center, housed in one of the most iconic and central buildings on campus–the Red Gym, became a critical hub for this civic life. 

“We are a bridge in that we are helping to sort of bring the university into the world and the world into the university,” Wright says. 

As the Morgridge Center celebrates its 30th anniversary this year, it rests on the legacy and foundation of the relationships with campus and community partners, as the lived-out vision of the Wisconsin Idea.

“Morgridge is still here, it’s grown, it’s flourished and is able to be a beacon of values in a time that questions them.” Wright says. “I think that speaks to its real value and power and the important role that we can continue to play in the world.” 

Looking towards the future, the Morgridge Center retains the same mission and vision established at its founding. However, the way those goals are achieved will evolve, with lasting change requiring long-term, consistent service—not just semester-long engagements. The center also wants to be a place where all students and volunteers’ needs are met.

The 30th anniversary of the Morgridge Center is not just a testament to time, but a reflection of its enduring impact on the thousands of students, faculty and community members who contributed to its legacy.

“I think we need to look at who’s coming, who isn’t coming and get really curious about how we can be more welcoming,” Wright says.

In a polarized time where visions for the future are in tension, the center is a place that has supported connection, compassion and community engagement for the past three decades. 

It’s not just about surviving—it’s about adapting and improving. Celebration must come with commitment: a promise to do better, be more responsive to community-identified opportunities and remain aligned with our value of reciprocity.

Looking to the future, Wright remains optimistic. 

“I hope at our 40th anniversary we’re bigger, better and stronger because I do think what we’re doing matters and is so important to the world,” Wright says.

Lauren Lewandowski, a former marketing and communications intern at the Morgridge Center, is now a communications specialist at the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA). Today, Lewandowski considers applying to the Morgridge Center one of the best bets of her young professional career.

Former Assistant Director of Community-Engaged Scholarship Haley Madden and Community-Engaged Scholarship Specialist Cory Sprinkel, in collaboration with emerita staff member, Beth Tryon, recently co-authored the book Preparing Students to Engage in Equitable Community Partnerships. — Former Assistant Director of Community-Engaged Scholarship Haley Madden and Community-Engaged Scholarship Specialist Cory Sprinkel, in collaboration with emerita staff member, Beth Tryon, recently co-authored the book, “Preparing Students to Engage in Equitable Community Partnerships.”

Community partners that have worked with Angela Johnson call her exceptional, experienced, resourceful and meaningful. Johnson is a long-time community-based educator provides her students with intentional and reflective learning experiences that promote their personal and professional growth. — Community partners that have worked with Angela Johnson call her exceptional, experienced, resourceful and meaningful. Johnson, a long-time community-based educator and teaching faculty, provides her students with intentional and reflective learning experiences, resulting in personal and promotional growth.

The Morgridge Center is a form of promise–a promise to serve, to connect, to show up and to engage. This promise is what shapes our legacy of engagement and our commitment to collective responsibility. 

“You can see in the world what happens when people stop believing that everyone matters, that all people are created equally and that requires each of us to be vigilant and engaged and compassionate and caring,” Wright says.

Ignite the Next 30 Years: Empowering Tomorrow’s Changemakers Today. Visit our Giving Page and make a gift today.