Drs. Joel and Gail Morganroth made headlines this winter when they announced their $15 million donation to Ringling College of Art and Design, the largest single gift in Ringling’s 87-year history. Their gift will endow a chair in the college’s newest major, Virtual Reality Development, as well as help fund capital projects, equipment, scholarships and the new Sarasota Museum of Art. Longtime academic physicians at the University of Pennsylvania medical school (he also is founder of a global company that works to insure the safety of new medical therapies), the Morganroths are “passionate about education, and the future of education,” he says. “Ringling is always looking to the future.” 

“We moved here in 2009. We came here to visit friends, and having seen paradise, we decided to live in it. It’s pretty simple.”

“I was invited to take a tour [of Ringling]. I liked Larry [Thompson, college president] and liked what I saw. I didn’t expect to see all the computer labs and technology spaces and software use; that’s probably what attracted me. I’ve been on the board for three years.”

“We wanted to make a significant contribution to something we believe in. The college not only shares our central core beliefs, but they never settle or stop. We continue to want to be part of an institution that is always looking to stay relevant and affect change. It made sense for us to make a major investment in Ringling College.”