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Engineering the future

The UW-Madison College of Engineering growth initiative


Engineering the future

We’re thinking boldly. We are a top college with a strong reputation for outstanding education and research, yet our growth is constrained by an existing structure we cannot renovate.

We aim to create a vibrant, multifunctional “signature” engineering building that stimulates collaboration, sparks discoveries and allows the college to train generations of engineering leaders to solve the world’s challenges.

A new, state-of-the-art building is a critical starting point in our ability to provide a hands-on education to many more engineering students and help keep pace with industry growth. This expansion is a top priority for UW-Madison.

Our new building plans

We plan to replace one of our eight buildings, the 64,000 square-foot 1410 Engineering Drive, with a 395,000-square-foot facility that will give us the modern space to educate many more engineering students and position us to stay competitive with our peers nationwide. Providing the hands-on, real-world education that’s a hallmark of our college, the new building will bring the best minds together, spark ideas, and generate solutions to the pressing challenges of today and beyond.
395KThousand
total square feet
US Dollars355MMillion
project
2028
projected completion

Dean Robertson on the College of Engineering’s need for a new building

Extending our impact

We’re at the forefront of research and innovation, and they enhance the Wisconsin economy in many ways. Engineering research and technological advances have led to dozens of companies founded by faculty, staff, students and alumni. A diverse array of engineering research centers, institutes and consortia builds on our rich tradition of cross-disciplinary research, advances knowledge and discovery, creates connections with industry and the private sector.
US Dollars100MMillion
each year in research expenditures
140Plus
inventions annually
170Plus
engineering industry collaborations each year

Why grow? Learn about employers’ demand for additional engineers

Growing talent in Wisconsin

Ranked among the best engineering schools in the country, the College of Engineering admits outstanding students. Their experiences in our college and at UW-Madison empower and enable them to further grow as thinkers, doers, professionals and leaders. They learn from top researchers who weave their research into their teaching, creating a learning environment rich with context, new ideas and discourse that benefit and inspire everyone. And 100% of our students learn engineering by doing it, whether in classrooms or laboratories, through internships and co-operative work experiences, undergrad research, student organizations, community service, competitions, or creative projects they realize in their free time.
100Percent
Wisconsin counties with residents who are UW-Madison College of Engineering alumni
74Percent
of our graduates stay and work in the Midwest
50Percent
engineering undergrads from Wisconsin

We live in a world of limits. Ours is space.

The time is now

Our building is the top priority for UW-Madison, as well as for the UW System overall. We will be sharing its cost with the state of Wisconsin. We currently are securing private funding commitments so that we can demonstrate to the legislature that we are serious about this new building. We need to raise $150 million (along with a $205 million commitment from the State of Wisconsin).

July 2021

Governor signs Wisconsin’s 2021-23 budget, which includes approximately $73 million in funding for a major utility infrastructure project that will lay the groundwork for a new engineering building

Spring 2022

College receives $1 million from the Wisconsin legislature to continue building planning

May 2022

State selects combined architecture and engineering firms for the project

Winter 2022

Governor releases draft of 2023-25 Wisconsin budget

Spring 2023

Legislative leaders revise 2023-25 state budget draft

Summer 2023

Legislature votes on 2023-25 state budget

Fall 2023

Major utility infrastructure project begins

Summer 2024

Target groundbreaking for new building

Spring 2028

Target building completion and opening

Help spread the word: Send a message encouraging your legislator to approve a new engineering building.
Rob Herrick

Questions?

Email Director of Development Rob Herrick to learn about opportunities for you to provide support or to make a gift or pledge.