Chancellor Rebecca Blank shared the following statement in response to Governor Evers’ 2021-23 Capital Budget Proposal.
“Governor Evers’ capital budget plan includes a major investment in higher education infrastructure that is critical for the future of Wisconsin. I am especially thankful for the inclusion of two major UW-Madison projects, the new College of Engineering building and the new College of Letters and Science Academic building, in his proposal.
“The UW–Madison College of Engineering is the second largest school/college on campus, with nearly 1,500 future engineering leaders of Wisconsin earning degrees each year. UW–Madison engineering graduates are vital to the state’s workforce and economic development needs, but we need more of them. Every year, many more students apply to be an engineering major than the College of Engineering has the capacity to accept. A new, state of-the-art building will provide the college the space to educate more engineering students and enable it to recruit and retain top-tier faculty members, sustaining our excellence in research and graduate education.
“The College of Letters & Science (L&S) is the largest of UW–Madison’s 13 schools and colleges, with nearly 20,000 students, 37 academic departments and schools, more than 120 undergraduate and graduate majors and 73 interdisciplinary research centers and institutes. As the foundation of a UW educational experience, nearly two-thirds of all undergraduate credit hours come from L&S. Unfortunately, the Humanities Building — one of campus’ biggest buildings and a primary home for many L&S courses — is in dire condition and is failing to support student needs. A new L&S Academic Building will provide modern classrooms and space for a number of programs currently housed in Humanities.
“I am also pleased to see a healthy investment in the All Agency program to support maintenance work across the UW System. I thank Governor Evers for his support of these important projects, and I look forward to continuing to work with the governor and legislative leaders through the budget process.”