The Wisconsin State Building Commission unanimously approved funding for the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s new engineering hall Friday, greenlighting the start of the long-awaited project.
The reversal comes less than a month after the fate of UW-Madison’s new engineering building was left in limbo after the commission denied a request to adjust funding and delayed the project in a 4-4 vote along party lines.
The commission voted to reallocate $29 million in unspent funds from other initiatives to finance the new building which is estimated to cost nearly $420 million and is slated to replace the university’s aging 82-year-old Engineering Building.
Gov. Tony Evers, who chairs the commission, celebrated the approval of funding for UW-Madison’s new engineering hall and other UW System projects, calling the approvals “critical” to building and retaining Wisconsin’s workforce.
“While it’s unfortunate that these reallocations to help support UW campuses across our state were unnecessarily delayed, I’m glad they were finally approved today to ensure these critical projects can move forward,” Evers said in a statement after Friday’s vote.
After the vote, UW System President Jay Rothman thanked Evers, the Wisconsin Legislature and the business community for their long-standing support of the project in a social media post Friday.
“The new facility will serve as a critical asset to move Wisconsin's economy forward,” Rothman wrote. “We are thankful for the final vote that approved our request to fund small projects like upgrading elevators, replacing roofs, fixing fire alarms and insulating pipes.”
The long road to approval
Final funding approval for the new engineering building was nearly two years in the making.
In May 2023, the Legislature’s Republican-controlled budget-writing committee slashed $197 million in funding allocated to the project in the 2023-24 budget. Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, a staunch opponent of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programming, told The Daily Cardinal in September 2023 that the UW System would “never get another nickel out of the Legislature” unless an agreement to cut DEI programs could be reached.
In December 2023, UW-Madison secured funding for the project in exchange for a cap on hiring for DEI positions for three years and the restructuring of one-third of the system’s 130 DEI positions into general student success positions in a deal made between Republican legislators and the UW System. The deal also included the approval of pay raises for UW System employees and guaranteed admissions to UW-Madison for students ranked in the top 5% of their class.
The new engineering building is just one part of UW-Madison’s broader strategy to modernize its infrastructure and accommodate the growing needs of its student population through its ambitious six-year, nearly $2 billion capital improvement plan.
Construction of the new facility is expected to begin in the coming months, with completion slated for 2028. Once operational, the building will accommodate more students and faculty to help ensure that UW-Madison continues to meet the demands of Wisconsin’s growing engineering sector.
Anna Kleiber is the state news editor for The Daily Cardinal. She previously served as the arts editor. Anna has written in-depth on elections, legislative maps and campus news. She has interned with WisPolitics and Madison Magazine. Follow her on Twitter at @annakleiber03.
