Lizzy Larson
Engineering hall construction. October 21, 2025.
Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers announced on Friday that the Wisconsin State Building Commission has approved reallocating funding toward several projects including $29 million for the construction of a new University of Wisconsin-Madison engineering building.
Evers, the Commission chair, personally approved legislation for funding the project last March, but Republican legislators in the Commission denied funding in December.
In his press release, Evers said he is disappointed that the Commission’s approval was delayed but is looking forward to supporting these projects.
“Our UW System is a central part of Wisconsin’s ability to compete in recruiting, training and retaining a talented workforce, and it is absolutely essential that we support the UW’s important work — from these projects to robust state investments in our next budget,” Evers said in the press release.
The new UW-Madison engineering building will allow for more degrees, programs and research laboratories, and it will support the university’s goal of increasing enrollment in the engineering program by 1,000 students, according to the press release.
Universities of Wisconsin President Jay Rothman reacted to the Commission’s decision in an X post on Friday.
“We appreciate the long-standing support the UW-Madison Engineering Building has received from Gov. Evers, the Legislature, and the business community,” Rothman said in the post. “The new facility will serve as a critical asset to move Wisconsin’s economy forward.”
The UW-Madison College of Engineering still needs to raise $150 million to complete the project, but the proposed construction schedule is planned to start in May 2026 and end in August 2029.