OSHKOSH, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – UW-Oshkosh Chancellor Andrew Leavitt said one building on campus is not providing all the services to students that it should be.
“A library is the heart and soul of any university campus,” Leavitt said. “And this is a library that, quite frankly, the facility itself has just failed.”
UWO officials are hoping to bring infrastructure changes to the campus, primarily with Polk Library
“We have cracking windows, we have wild temperature swings, we have — our exterior is not watertight,” Library Director Sarah Neises said.
Polk Library first opened in 1962. Neises said issues with the building itself have become more common over the last several years. She also said the needs of students have evolved beyond what the current space is capable of providing.
“Offering more spaces that are modern. A modern student expects modern spaces. A library indeed is not just a place with books. In fact, it’s mostly not just a place with books. We spend less than 5% of our budget on print materials, and I would not expect that to rise in the future.”
Leavitt says the project is still in an early phase. But the goal is to have construction underway by the start of the next state budget cycle.
“Once the design and planning is complete, as long as everything else sort of lines up correctly, then we would hope that we could go right to construction, which means we would start literally in July of 2025, and it usually takes about 18 months to complete.”
Because the project and its possible designs are still being considered by the legislature and governor, no price estimate has been determined.
“These are classic, capital state-funded items that we certainly do appreciate the taxpayers of Wisconsin to help fund,” Leavitt said. “There will be opportunities to bring in some other sources of funding as well.”
Along with the infrastructure improvements, Leavitt is hoping for technology changes to improve accessibility for remote students.
Planning for a second project is also underway. That would be replacing old boilers to improve heating at U-W-O and several other U-W campuses.
The initial funding request before the state includes $3.5 million for planning and design between all schools combined.
