Chippewa Valley Times

Guests at the groundbreaking ceremony for the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire’s new Science and Health Sciences building discussed the state-of-the-art facility, set to open in 2027. The new building will replace the 61-year-old Phillips Hall.

Jay Rothman, Universities of Wisconsin president, remarked, “This new building has the potential to far transcend its brick and mortar. Within these future walls that will stand right here, guided by talented faculty and staff who will call it home, more students will get the opportunity to advance their knowledge and skills and, quite frankly, advance the knowledge of humankind.”

Kathy Bernier, former state senator, highlighted the importance of relationships in such projects: “A project like this is about creating and maintaining relationships. The relationships that UW-Eau Claire cultivated with Mayo Clinic and relationships Chancellor (James) Schmidt fostered with Chippewa Valley legislators — and there are so many others.”

Tommy Thompson, former governor and former Universities of Wisconsin interim president, noted the unique opportunities for students: “The young students who come to this great campus will be looking out on this beautiful river, working in the research laboratories of Mayo and getting the education that they couldn’t get any other place in the country.”

Dr. Tim Nelson, director of innovation for Mayo Clinic Health System in Northwest Wisconsin stated: “The students of the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire is why we are here today. I wish all 100,000 alumni were standing here right now because it is the alumni, the success of our faculty, [and]the success of the students who went through there previously that allowed everybody behind me to buy into the vision.”

State representative Jodi Emerson expressed gratitude for bipartisan efforts: “I want to thank Chancellor Jim for understanding that it not only takes a village but a bipartisan effort. This was something that every single one of us worked on — past [and] present[,]and I’m sure there will be future legislators who will be working on this.”

Dr. Doug Dunham, professor and chair of materials science and biomedical engineering department commented: “The new Science and Health Sciences building is a transformative endeavor that addresses pressing issues head-on. The state-of-the-art facility is designed to meet both current and future educational demands[,] featuring tailored labs to foster collaboration [and]innovation.”

Construction on the 330,000-square-foot building is expected to continue through 2026.

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