Commission approves $75M UWSP science center

The State Building Commission has approved a $75 million science center at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point.

Chancellor Bernie Patterson says the commission’s endorsement is a “significant milestone in the funding process.” The project still needs a review by the Legislature’s Joint Finance Committee before it can be included in the overall state budget to be considered by legislators in June.

Excluding UW-Madison, the Stevens Point campus had more graduates complete doctorate degrees in science technology, engineering and mathematics majors than any other UW school from 1997 to 2006.

UWSP facilities director Carl Rasmussen told the Stevens Point Journal the existing science building was built in 1963.

If the project is included in the budget, construction could start in spring 2015 and be completed by spring 2017.