Outlook Magazine - Fall 2022

ON CAMPUS

BRIGHT FUTURE FOR HERITAGE Busy lab and classroom building, which opened in 1973, on track for complete renovation

essential project. The renovation will turn an outdated building into a state-of-the art facility that prepares students for success in high-de mand careers such as hospitality, child care, mental health and wellness, and education,” Frank said. Heritage Hall is home to the School of Educa tion, School of Hospitality Leadership, nutrition and family health, and the Weidner Center for Residential Property Management. It serves more than 2,000 students each academic year. The state job outlook for graduates frommost of the programs based in the building is expected to grow between 6% and 15% by 2025. With UW-Stout’s 100% graduate employment rates in nearly all of these programs, the renovation will help provide qualified Wisconsin workers to address these demands. Renovation includes a new, four-story glass main entrance and a new north entrance. On the inside, the focus is a more engaging, technolog ically up-to-date learning environment essential

In 1973, it opened as the Home Economics Building. In 2010, it was renamed Heritage Hall. By 2027, if all goes as planned, the busy lab and classroom building will be ready for another 50 years. A long-awaited renovation moved closer to reality in August when Heritage Hall received priority approval from the UW System Board of Regents.Among UWSystem capital budget requests, the $120 million project was ranked No. 1 in priority in the Chippewa Valley and No. 3 for major academic building renovation projects. Chancellor Katherine Frank was pleased that the Board of Regents recognized the impor tance of the building to UW-Stout’s applied learning environment and the role it will play in addressing the state’s projected workforce needs. “Heritage Hall is Stout’s number one capital priority, and I’m pleased that the Board of Regents demonstrated their support for this

to UW-Stout’s polytechnic mission. By remov ing partitions, new flexible spaces for classes and labs featuring state-of-the-art equipment will be created throughout, including more natural light. The project includes demolition of the north por tion of the Vocational Rehabilitation Building, which opened in 1954 as UW-Stout’s first stand alone library. Four Graduate School programs will relocate to Heritage. Most of Heritage Hall’s systems, equipment and controls date to 1973, one reason UW-Stout began seeking renovation approval 13 years ago. The Board of Regents’ action means that the renovation will be in the UW System’s capital request to the Legislature for the 2023-25 state budget. If the project is approved by lawmakers and the State Building Commission, construction could begin in fall 2025 and will take about 24 months.

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