Updates on New Academic Center
Detailed architectural plans are just about complete and the building project is set to go out for bid on August 28. Proposals are due back to the Department of Administration by September 29. The contract should be awarded in early October. Posted 8/19/09
Old facilities management building to be dismantled and relocated A bid to purchase and dismantle the former facilities management building has been accepted. Dismantling should begin mid-September. In the spirit of sustainability the buyers will recycle the building materials in the construction of another facility. Posted 8/19/09
New date for groundbreaking A slight delay in the release date for request for bids required that we reschedule the groundbreaking for the new academic building. Mark your calendars for the new date — Friday, October 16, 9:30 am. We hope to see you there! Posted 8/13/09
Moving into the Campus Services Center Renovation and remodeling of the former grocery store are complete and the Division of Administrative Services announced plans for the relocation of various offices and functions to the Services Center building located at 650 Witzel Avenue. Central Stores will relocate in early August, followed by Postal and Document Services and finally the Facilities Management operation. Posted 8/1/09
Renovation underway Renovation work began early this month on the Cub Food facility that will be the new home for facilities management , central stores, and postal and document services. The facility should be ready for its new occupants in August and the move will set the stage for removal of the structure that sits on the site of the new building. Here’s the campus map for a look at the Facilities Management location on High Street and the inset that shows the Cub Food property. Posted 4/17/09
What is LEED®? The US Green Building Council’s, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System™ is a third-party certification program and the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings. Follow this link for a project checklist to see how the rating system works. To learn more about LEED, visit the Web site at http://www.usgbc.org/DisplayPage.aspx?CMSPageID=222 Posted 3/27/2009
Grass on the roof? The scale model of the new building shows a green roof on the auditorium wing. A green roof system is either partially or completely covered with plant life which helps reduce greenhouse gases, reduces water runoff and offers heating and cooling benefits. This is an important option to consider as we seek to conserve energy resources and reduce negative impact on the environment. Here’s one example of a green roof. Posted 3/2/09
Save the date! UW Oshkosh will celebrate the groundbreaking for the new academic center on Tuesday, September 15. The ceremony will take place on the construction site immediately following the UW Oshkosh Foundation Community Breakfast. Posted 2/16/09
Unanimous approval from the Building Commission On Jan. 26, the State Building Commission, chaired by Governor Jim Doyle, fully endorsed UW Oshkosh’s academic center keeping the building on schedule for late summer construction. Posted 1/26/09
Aggressive energy goals The new building will be built to gold LEED standards with aggressive goals for energy efficiency. Through life cycle and energy savings, the design will reduce operational costs by 60% from the costs of existing buildings. Estimated annual energy costs of $150,000 will mean savings of close to $6 million during the building’s 30-year lifecycle assuming energy prices remain constant. Posted 1/12/09
Building project creates jobs The new academic center will be one of the largest single construction projects in the history of northeastern Wisconsin. Using conservative estimates, the project will generate over the next three years more than 2,400 construction-related jobs in fields such as masonry, architecture, pipefitting, electrical and plumbing, providing a big boost to the regional economy. Click here for a sample of these jobs. Posted 12/22/08
Board of Regents approves building design During its Dec. 4-5 meeting, the UW Board of Regents approved a design plan for the new building. Next step - the plans go forward to the State Building Commission for approval. Posted 12/8/08
Gifts surpass $4.8 million More wonderful news! Our gift total is now more than $4.8 million. I’ll hold off on naming the most recent donor until we have a joint news release in place, but this is too awesome to keep quiet. At a time when the economic downturn is impacting everyone – psychologically as well as financially – notification of a major gift seems too good to be true. Stay tuned for the upcoming news release. Posted 11/10/08
Another reason to be thankful! Menasha Corporation Foundation announced a $100,000 lead gift to the building campaign PLUS a two-to-one match on employee gifts. In making the announcement, Menasha Corporation Foundation’s president, Ralph L. Evans, said, “Menasha Corporation is proud to be able to ensure that UW Oshkosh students have access to a high-quality academic center that will facilitate the types of learning opportunities that our leaders of tomorrow require. High-tech, modern classrooms and a contemporary learning environment will help provide companies like ours with graduates who are well-educated and skilled men and women who can help us succeed in a global environment.” Click here to read the full news release. Posted 11/6/08
Model in high demand The building model has taken on a life of its own. It is in such demand that we had to create a calendar to keep track of its schedule. It spent some time in the College of Business so faculty – and the candidates for the college’s dean position – could see it. Then it went over to the College of Letters and Science to bring the vision to life for their faculty. And in between those visits, it went on various road trips to board and advisory group meetings, donor visits and even to Homecoming festivities. We are so pleased that faculty, students, friends of the campus and alumni are able to see for themselves how this building will add to the quality of the educational experience at UW Oshkosh. Posted 10/20/08
Floor plans nearly final We now have “close to final” floor plans. The architects were here the other day, meeting with faculty from each department to be sure they have the room sizes, functions and adjacencies right. There were requests for a few minor tweaks here and there and some classroom features that need to be worked out, but this sneak peak at the plans will give you a good sense of the layout. Posted 10/6/08
Goal hits halfway mark! Hurray! It is official! We are more than halfway to our goal. The excitement is rising as the momentum continues to build. (Is that model a good luck charm, maybe?) When you’re on the inside of a campaign like this, and you live and breathe it every day, it’s easy to get caught up in the journey. But when a gift comes in, we are reminded of our goal, which is to enhance the teaching and learning environment at UW Oshkosh. Many, many thanks to all the donors who have gotten us this far! We are very grateful for your support. Posted 9/22/08
Community breakfast features campaign news, video and model The scale model was on display at the Foundation’s annual community breakfast, where the building plans were unveiled, and fundraising for the building was announced. We are just under the $4 million halfway point in raising the $8 million in private dollars we need. The Chancellor introduced the campaign and the building plans, but the real hit was the video of two UW Oshkosh students doing a walk-through of the building. Nice job, Chelsea and Alex – everyone loved you! Visit the campaign's home page to view the video for yourself. Posted 9/16/08
Scale model is here! A scale model of the building arrived today. See photos at www.uwosh.edu/foundation/campaign/building.php. The 3-foot-by-3-foot model is very detailed and brings the building “to life.” It also shows several renewable energy options being considered to meet the aggressive goals for operational energy use. We are all very excited to finally be able to do a true “show and tell” about the building. Posted 9/15/08
Exterior designs ready to view The architects have been hard at work for quite awhile. After all, they faced a few challenges. First they had to make room for all the classrooms, all the departments, all the faculty and all the programs we wanted to move in the new building. Did we have enough space? They also were faced with the challenge of meeting some pretty aggressive energy usage goals and a directive to follow sustainable practices. The physical location couldn’t be changed so the building had to fit on that footprint. And last but not least they had to come in on time and within budget! So now that the design is nearly final, what will the building look like? Let’s take a look at a few exterior design images. Posted 9/3/08 |
Susan Neitzel, Capital Campaign Director |
Backhoes, grading machines coming soon
We wrote about the excitement of planning and campaigning in earlier posts, but the reality of it all is that the activity of construction equipment on campus will be equally as exciting.
Soon enough, you’ll get to see the results – with backhoes and grading machines and erector cranes contributing to the wonderful cacophony of construction. As we progress steadily towards the ground-breaking date, it seemed fitting to give a preliminary timeline for anticipated construction milestones.
Posted 8/22/08
Donors make the difference
One of the most exciting things about a project such as this is the wide range of people we’re lucky enough to work with. It’s truly collaboration. There are the donors who give so generously; the architects who have the vision to create new centers of learning; the faculty and students who will bring the center to life, and the staff here at UW Oshkosh.
As we continue with our updates, we will share a bit of news from people in each of these remarkable groups. Our focus today is on donors.
Before groundbreaking ever begins – before endowments attract the best and brightest students or faculty to Wisconsin – the hard work and exhilaration of seeking donors for this project takes place. Let’s listen to the story of one of our lead donors to learn more about what motivated them to support this campaign.
Posted 8/20/08
Setting wheels in motion for success
So, we’ve been talking about and dreaming about a new building for quite some time. What’s been going on since we learned the campus was short of space?
Actually, the process is rather complex. First you have to develop a request to build. Then the construction request needs to go through several rounds of approval, including the UW System Board of Regents, the State of Wisconsin Planning Commission and others. After you pass those checkpoints you need budget approval and then legislative approval for the capital expenditure. We finally made it through the process and were told we could proceed – but not without a caveat.
The State approved this $54 million construction package and is funding $46 million, but the University needs to raise $8 million in private funds for the project.
Where are we today? We are just a few dollars away from being halfway to our goal!
Posted 8/15/08
K-C offers to triple donations of alumni employee
July 9, 2008, marked the launch of the Kimberly-Clark campaign for UW Oshkosh. Chancellor Richard Wells and alumnus Craig Culver of Culver’s restaurant – along with fellow alumni Mark Jamison and Tom Melsen of Kimberly-Clark – shared personal perspectives on UW Oshkosh. The focus of the K-C campaign is to help raise private funds for a new academic center. Through the generous support of the Kimberly-Clark Foundation and K-C Cares in the Fox Valley, employees choosing to support this three-year effort WILL HAVE THEIR SUPPORT TRIPLED! Click on this link to see photos of the event: www.uwosh.edu/foundation/campaign/KC-event.php.
Posted 7/11