By Dylan Schmidt, Zach Glander, & Jared Valleskey
Every college campus needs renovations as time goes on in order to keep enrollment up and continue to improve the experience for their students and faculty. Whether it is making small fixes to a pathway or building a whole new dormitory, every campus has seen improvements over the years, and the main UW-Green Bay Campus is no exception. For the past calendar year, the main UW-Green Bay campus has seen many construction projects start, including the main project being the new Residence Hall that is set to open to students in the Fall of 2024. The new Residence Hall will be home to 200 students and will give the campus a new and improved look. Despite this having a positive impact on the campus and its students, there are some questions that arise, specifically with parking. With such a big improvement being added to campus, it begs the question, “What other possible renovations or construction projects could the University look to do in the future?”
The original UW-Green Bay campus started in 1965 with only one building, but it wasn’t until four years later, in 1969, that both the Environmental Sciences and Laboratory Sciences buildings were constructed. Over the years, both buildings have seen some construction, and there are more currently in progress or planned to be started soon. As part of the 2023 Internal Projects, UWGB plans to start the renovation of Lab Sciences Foods Lab into the FreshWater Research Lab. Also, as part of the 2023-24 State Projects on UWGB’s website, Instructional Services is one of the buildings listed under “primary electric service replacement” for many buildings, including the Environmental Sciences building.
Realistically, almost every building on campus could use some kind of renovation, even if it’s just a small one. Many housing buildings, as well as some academic buildings, are in need of remodeling to give a more futuristic look to the campus. There is always one big obstacle when it comes to where to make improvements, and that is money. In August of 2022, Regents approved UW System’s $262.6 million operating budget request for the 2023-2025 biennium, which includes funding for the Wisconsin Tuition Promise. Chancellor Michael Alexander spoke about the budget, saying, “This is how we rise.” Alexander continued to speak, saying, “We are motivated by the difference we feel we are making in the lives of our students and the future of our region. Even more powerful is that our community is also rallying behind the promise of our potential and the approach we are taking to realize it.”
UW-Green Bay has been making changes since 2016 to “help solve the problem of sustaining and expanding the economy and quality of life in northeast Wisconsin.” This was the first big step in what seemed to be a big change within the UW-Green Bay System. Chancellor Alexander concluded by saying, “We listened, changed our mission a few years later, and frantically began aligning our resources behind what could happen if we all united behind the idea of what occurs when a regional comprehensive becomes integral to the communities it serves and devotes itself entirely to the idea of access to education,” Alexander said. “We are competing with ferocity to get more students exposed to higher education.” With all this being considered and there being a clear plan, we can now look into what possible improvements can be made on campus to continue to improve it.
Over the years, many renovations have happened around campus. For example, the Kress Center was constructed in 2006. Before the Kress Center, the campus had something which was known as the Phoenix Sports Center, which dates back to 1976. This was just one of the many buildings that used to be on campus that have since been destroyed and rebuilt to fit modern times. The campus has continued to undergo renovations for years, and there are many buildings and facilities on campus that still need upgrades, such as the library and parking lots. As the new residence hall is built, there are hopes for higher enrollment. With higher enrollment, however, more parking and accessibility will be needed. This includes the construction of roads, parking lots, sidewalks, and more.
UWGB Senior Nicholas Rennie expressed his thoughts on the current state of the University in regards to parking and construction. He stated, “I like where the campus is headed moving forward, but it is unfortunate that the construction is happening while we are here. I think it would have been a better idea to have it done with before the students got back to campus.” Rennie also stated how he does not enjoy having to park far away from his building, and he is ready for the University to open up the parking lots again soon, as they planned to have them open by November 1st. “They said the parking wouldn’t be a problem after October, but now it’s November, and it is still an issue.”
UW-Green Bay’s main campus first opened its doors to students in 1965. With a campus that old, there are almost certainly to be improvements and construction on all or most of the major buildings. Over the course of 50-plus years, many buildings have been demolished and constructed to modernize the campus to what it is now. One of the biggest complaints about campus housing that students have had is how much worse the Traditional Apartments are than the other dormitories like Roy Downham Hall and the private apartments on campus. Almost all students who have lived in the Traditional Apartments and also some of the other housing options, like the private apartments, mentioned how big of an upgrade it is compared to the Traditional Apartments. Whether it’s just upgrades on the current buildings or a complete demolition and replacement, there definitely needs to be an upgrade in those specific housing buildings.
Junior Kaylyn Brandl stated, “I like the improvements they are making here on campus. As the campus continues to grow in terms of enrollment, it’s important that it grows as well. Making additions to the campus, like adding a new dorm, is just as important as improving the current buildings in the future. There are many buildings on campus that could use an upgrade, so it will be curious to see where they decide to improve the campus next.”
As we have mentioned, with all the current construction projects going on at the UWGB Main Campus, many are wondering, “What are some possible future renovation projects?” The Cofrin Library is set to be torn down, and construction on a new one is set to be completed by 2026. The Cofrin Library was built in 1972 and has not had many renovations done on it. In April of 2021, governor of Wisconsin Tony Evers took a tour of the library and determined that work needed to be done on the building and that the project would require a complete rebuild. This rebuild would cost more than $96 million in funding. The new and improved library is set to have four to five stories, as well as a new technology hub. The UWGB projects are a part of many projects going on through the University of Wisconsin System. The UWGB main campus was opened in 1965, and some buildings have had small renovations, but there are always improvements to be made on the campus to modernize it and make it better for current and incoming students.
UWGB student Miranda Thiel had a few things to say regarding the expansion of the campus in the future. She states, “I think that the campus needs to add more parking options for students, but they need to add them in places that make sense. Where they are adding to parking lots now are not in easily accessible or convenient places.” She also stated that, as of now, it is tough to find spots to park due to all the ongoing construction, but she realizes that this will be solved in the near future after the construction is concluded.
In conclusion, the UWGB campus is in need of more repairs and renovations in the future. Many projects are ongoing, but there are more that will be needed to help keep the campus up and provide exceptional living conditions for all students. Over the next few years, the campus will see the finalization of the new dorm building that has yet to be named, as well as improvements in parking and roads. The campus library will also be completely torn down and redone as well. With higher enrollment expected, UW-Green Bay has some renovations and improvements to make to ensure that students have access to everything they need to live comfortably and enjoy their college experience. The future for the renovations of the UWGB campus looks to be a long-term project, but it should be an interesting project to watch out for. These renovations will also shape the future of UWGB campus life as well as the learning process for future students.
