The University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents approved $4.7 million on Feb.7 in funding for much needed replacements of current electrical equipment on UW-Stevens Point and UW-Madison campuses.
This follows meetings with Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin and the regents last week. They discussed various proposals, showcased new buildings in construction on the UW-Madison campus and approved the funding for electrical system upgrades.
The $4.7 million in recently approved funds will go toward two projects, one at UW-Stevens Point and one at UW-Madison. At UW-Stevens Point, they’ll replace emergency generators which are “undersized to provide adequate capacity,” and at UW-Madison, they’ll replace electrical distribution equipment at the West Campus Electrical Substation owned by both UW-Madison and Madison Gas & Electric.
The current circuit breakers at the electrical substation are still in existence from when it was built in 1966, according to meeting documents.
Regent Edmund Manydeeds III said “the presentation highlighted the challenges faced by [UW-Madison] due, in part, to the increasing age of its buildings and its backlog of deferred maintenance” when referencing a presentation from Associate Vice Chancellor Cindy Torstveit.
In January, UW-Madison secured final approval for its new engineering building after $197 million in funding was cut for the project. Republican legislators refused to provide funding unless diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs at UW-Madison were cut.
The Board of Regents then voted to restructure DEI programs and freeze their hiring for three years in exchange for both pay raises for employees and funding for building projects, including the engineering building.
Mnookin presented current building projects on the UW-Madison campus such as Morgridge Hall, Irving & Dorthy Levy Hall, the Frautschi Center and the Phillip A. Levy Engineering Center.
In the 2025-27 biennial budget request to UW System, UW-Madison requested funding to build a new residence hall. It is one of the priorities for the next few years, according to Mnookin. Gov. Tony Evers has requested an $800 million increase in funding from the state legislature for the system, the largest in UW System history.
Irving & Dorthy Levy Hall is the first new academic building for humanities departments in the College of Letters & Science in more than 50 years. Many have criticized the Mosse Humanities Building and bemoaned its many needed improvements, however, due to the building's concrete structure, simple updates like installing TVs, running electrical lines or installing WiFi in the basement, can’t be completed.
“It’s part of our effort to get out of the Mosse Humanities Building and that is central in our capital budget requests for this year,” Mnookin said.
The Frautschi Center will be built by picnic point trailhead, a “wonderful frontdoor to the Lakeshore Nature Preserve” and will be UW-Madison’s first net-positive building on campus.
In August, the UW Board of Regents approved UW System President Jay Rothman’s $955 million 2025-27 budget proposal. This includes $292.5 million to demolish and replace Mosse Humanities.
Mnookin thanked those who have donated, the Legislature and the Board of Regents.
Drew Wesson is a staff writer and photographer for The Daily Cardinal. He has written stories covering public safety, protests, political events and more. You can follow him on Twitter @drewwesson1.
