In the upcoming months, the Wisconsin State Legislature will be making a major decision on the future and growth of UW-Milwaukee.

On Jan. 28, UWM Chancellor Carlos Santiago gave an address in which he discussed six major additions to UWM facilities. The purposes of the facilities are a combination of upgrading current resources as well as adding new ones.

The proposed projects are the purchase and redevelopment of Columbia St. Mary’s Hospital, the construction of a new aquatic research vessel, the construction of two new research complexes, a new home for the School of Freshwater Sciences, and to develop a location for the newly added School of Public Health.

The development of the projects will depend on a $240 million initiative from the state congress. If approved, it would be the largest single sum of auxiliary funding since UWM’s founding in 1956.

Both houses of congress in Madison will need to sign off on the request. Approval for the annual state budget concludes in April and, if the initiative is not decided upon by then, it will be at least another year before UWM will receive the requested funding.

“We are very optimistic,” Vice Chancellor Tom Luljak said. “Anything is amendable, anything can change, but we have had strong support with members of the legislature, tremendous support to advance the projects.”

UWM has plenty of room for growth compared to other UW schools. UW-Madison engulfs over 1,000 acres, and other Wisconsin universities have less than 50 students per acre. UWM, which was originally founded on 93 acres, packs in more than 288 students per acre.

Recently, UWM expanded its academic programs when the Wisconsin Legislature approved the addition of two new schools: the School of Freshwater Sciences and the School of Public Health.

The School of Freshwater Sciences is looking to upgrade from its current facility, once a tile factory, located on Greenfield Ave.

“The facility has been outgrown,” Luljak said.

In addition, the school is looking to replace the “Neeskay,” their primary research vessel, which is 3 years older than UWM itself. The projected cost of the two additions is $70 million.

The second and most recent addition to UWM, the School of Public Health, is in need of a location to base itself out of. This project is still in its infancy, as no formal approval from the university has yet been made.

The university is looking to purchase Columbia St. Mary’s Hospital, located just west of Sandburg Hall, for $31 million. St. Mary’s is in the process building a new location to replace its current facility. The details and future of the potential acquisition remain unknown, as negotiations between the UWM and the hospital are still in progress.

Lastly, two new research facilities are being proposed to enhance not only work being done at UWM, but to increase collaborative research with other universities and partners.

The Kenwood Integrated Research Complex, with a price tag of $75 million, would be constructed to promote STEM education (science, technology engineering and math). It will be built on the northwestern corner of Maryland and Kenwood. The KIRC will be built on the space currently occupied by the Kunkle Center, as well as some of the surrounding parking lot.

The Innovation Park Research Facility is also being discussed for development. This complex would exist for the purposes of engineering labs and research in the biomedical, engineering, imaging and rehabilitation technology fields. This facility will be focused on collaborative research, as UWM hopes to work with the Medical College of Wisconsin, the Blood Center of Wisconsin and GE Medical amongst others. No official contractual agreements yet exist regarding these collaborations.

However, like the public health facility, the IPRF is still waiting for approval from the university and will progress separately from the other four projects.

If funded, these projects will not only expand the UWM campus but will increase the university’s presence in other areas of the city as well.

“The Regents and elected officials have entertained our ambitious plan because we have continuously promoted the notion that UWM is fundamentally important to the economic viability of the city, region and state,” Santiago said in his address.

“The expansion will benefit the faculty and staff,” said Luljak. “But I believe the impact of the facilities is enormous to the students. It will make the campus a bigger and better place.”