I am delighted to report that the final renovation of UW Oshkosh’s Clow Hall/Nursing-Education Building complex is one of several UW System capital projects that has been advanced by the state’s budget-development committee, the Joint Committee on Finance. You can read UW System President Tommy Thompson’s statement here and learn more about the “Clow II” project here.
This $27 million phase of the project will provide much needed mechanical upgrades to the building and further transform it into the modern center for teacher education and UWO course delivery we have long sought. While we have worked several years to get this phase across the finish line, and Governor Evers still must endorse this project as an element of the state budget, I find the timing gratifying. The UW System and State of Wisconsin are poised to invest in a next-generation teacher education center as UWO celebrates the 150th anniversary of its founding as a teacher-preparation college.
I’d like to thank College of Education and Human Services Dean Linda Haling and her leadership team for consistently stepping up to help demonstrate to state legislators and officials the need for the Clow II project to advance. I also thank Director of Facilities Management JoAnn Rife for her oversight of the project’s design, engineering and progress through the state planning pipelines. And we owe a debt of gratitude to the Board of Regents and President Thompson and his team, who have ensured this project answering Wisconsin’s call for more and better prepared teachers remains a state priority.
Finally, I want to thank our local state legislators for supporting Clow II throughout its journey. State Representative Michael Schraa was a driving force helping convey the need for and the value of this project to his colleagues in the current State Legislature and over the last two biennia. State Senator Dan Feyen has been a genuine advocate for the project, helping ensure it is completed and is positioned to respond to Wisconsin’s needs. State Representative Gordon Hintz, as our 54th Assembly district representative and a former Wisconsin State Building Commission member, has advocated for the Clow/Nursing-Education complex’s modernization over the last decade. I am grateful to have elected leaders and partners who understand the strong return on investment this project will deliver in future teacher talent and UWO mission-centric teaching and learning.
We will keep you all updated on the Clow II project’s developments this summer. I hope you agree today’s good news adds another dimension of excitement as we prepare for a full-fledged, in-person university experience this fall, celebrate UWO’s sesquicentennial and look forward to a bright future.
This post was originally shared with the UWO community via email on June 9, 2021.