Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

UW-River Falls Plans $117M STEM Facility

  • By Matt Jones
  • 06/23/22

The University of Wisconsin-River Falls, located in River Falls, Wis., is in the final phases of planning construction on a new, $117-million STEM facility. The project has been approved by the university’s Board of Regents but still needs approval from the state Building Commission, which rejected the proposal during 2021 state budget discussions. The regents approved the project during its regular meeting on Friday, June 10, according to local news.

The new Science and Technology Innovation Center would provide 73,865 square feet of academic space for biology, chemistry, health sciences and pre-engineering programs. Its first floor would also offer space for collaborations with regional businesses.

University Chancellor Maria Gallo said that about 60 percent of the student body enrolls in a STEM course during their time at the university. UW-River Falls also produces the third-highest percentage of STEM graduates within the UW System, she said. The growing demand for STEM degrees led to the pursuit of a new facility.

“That'll be good to have state-of-the-art facilities for teaching and learning, as well as laboratory spaces to do the same and also to conduct student research, which is really important,” Gallo said. “That's one of those high-impact practices that allow students to complete their degree and then go on and be very marketable out in the workforce.”

Regents first approved the $117-million price tag in 2020. Since then, inflation has driven up construction costs, and designs have been altered to keep the project under budget. Local news reports that the state Building Commission unilaterally rejected all building projects from Gov. Tony Evers’ capital budget for 2021. Gallo said that this time around, the project has strong bipartisan support from regional legislators. The Commission will review the project in August.

“I’m confident that because we’ve met all the milestones up to this point, that we should be able to go forward,” said Gallo.

About the Author

Matt Jones is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. He can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • Esports are Growing in Popularity

    Video games and esports are a popular social hobby, and it’s one that’s accessible to a wide variety of physical ability levels. Some esport student-athletes have started to earn scholarship opportunities, and high schools are beginning to form teams equipped with the same degree of resources as their physical sports teams. However, the two have very different needs.

  • Phoenix High School Completes First Phase of Campus Renovations

    Metro Tech High School, part of the Phoenix Union High School District (PXU) in Phoenix, Ariz., recently announced the completion of the first stage of a campus renovation project, according to a news release. The school reopened a series of public-facing business operations spaces including credit union, daycare, floral, cosmetology, and culinary services. It also includes new CTE learning spaces for the school’s nursing assistant, pharmacy, and sports medicine programs.

  • University of Rochester to Break Ground on New Student Life Center

    The University of Rochester in Rochester, N.Y., recently began construction on a new Student Life building, according to a news release. The first floor will contain campus-wide gathering, program, and rehearsal space; the second floor will play home to the Greenbaum Center for Jewish Life.

  • DLR Group Announces New Mid-Atlantic Higher Education Leader

    Integrated design firm DLR Group recently announced that it has promoted Principal Shawn Gaither, AIA, LEED AP, to the role of higher education leader in the Mid-Atlantic, according to a news release. Gaither has served with the firm for more than 20 years, most recently as the national higher education business development leader.