Education has been good to Bob and Jan Davidson and now they’re returning the favor. The couple took their children’s educational software company from a startup to a multi-million dollar corporation, thanks to such hit products as the Math Blaster and Reading Blaster series. After selling their business, the Davidsons turned to philanthropy, founding the Davidson Institute for Talent Development in 1999. The institute focuses on providing opportunities for profoundly gifted children — those whose IQs rank in the very highest percentile. The Davidsons determined this group was greatly underserved and felt their support could make a difference. Last December, the couple pledged $15 million to the University of Nevada, Reno to create the Davidson Academy, a public school for profoundly gifted children. It opens on the university campus this fall.

What are some possible implications for Nevada’s business environment from having these gifted students coming to Reno?

(Jan) I think the fact that Nevada would have a public school catering to the whole nation’s profoundly gifted children is a signal that Nevada is interested in brains, interested in talent. Just from an image point of view, that is going to help Nevada. (Bob) We’ve heard businesses sometimes have a hard time attracting talented people because they’re worried about the school system or about peer groups not being here in terms of the best and the brightest. The Academy is going to go some distance toward making these people feel comfortable that we are not an anti-intellectual culture here in Nevada.

What will the academy bring to the university?

(Jan) When students graduate from the Academy they will still be fairly young. Many will very likely attend the University of Nevada, Reno. This will have an impact not only on the university, but on the larger community. (Bob) Once we get cranked up to something approaching 100 students a year, most will be matriculating into the university. The university will be receiving more profoundly gifted students than any university in the country. It’s going to add to the research luster of the university. A certain percentage of these kids are going to do just phenomenal things. That’s going to benefit the university, Reno and the state.

What skills and knowledge did you both bring from your business background into the philanthropic area?

(Bob) I think what businesspeople can apply to the philanthropic world is a sense of goal setting and a sense of assessment and measurement, much like competition forces you to when you’re in business. In the philanthropic world, the assessment is not as clear cut; you don’t have those crisp numbers. (Jan) Nonetheless, you can come up with good benchmarks and measurements. I think that’s a very useful mindset to bring to the philanthropic world.

How does developing profoundly gifted students help America compete in a global economy?

(Bob) Whether it’s a company or a country, the future appears to be more related to intellectual matters — intellectual property, intellectual work. We are entering a new competitive situation. I’m not saying smart kids are the answer to everything, but we need these vanguards, these achievers to push us. (Jan) I like to say we need people to make the giant leaps, the giant leaps of civilization.

For more information: http://www.ditd.org/