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MARSHFIELD, Wis. (WSAU) -- The U.W. Marshfield / Wood County Campus wants a new Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math building, commonly referred to as a STEM facility.
Assistant campus dean Michelle Boernke says updated facilities are needed to keep the campus competitive. Boernke said, “Without these upgrades it’ll be difficult to continue to compete for students in higher education in our region and in our state.”
Campus dean and CEO Patricia Stuhr says the new facility is a priority since it would be home to the course work that’s in the greatest demand. She explained that, “In our consideration, 68% of our students have their majors in the STEM areas.”
Officials from the University kicked-off a capital campaign this week to raise around $10-million dollars in funds for the new facility. The campaign hopes to raise about $8-million in private donations, and $1-million each from the City of Marshfield and Wood County who co-own the facility.
The current building, the Aldo Leopold Science Building, was one of the original buildings on campus, constructed in 1964.
The target date for groundbreaking on the new facility is 2016.