Nov

Sweet New Digs for Fr. Wild

The Business Journal of Milwaukee reports on something thus far unnoted on campus:

Marquette University has issued $55 million in bonds through the Wisconsin Health and Educational Facilities Authority to fund building purchases and renovations, including $25 million for a new administration building.

The Brookfield-based authority, which helps educational and health care institutions gain access to low-cost private capital financing and bonds exempt from federal taxes, issued the bonds in late October, said Larry Nines, WHEFA executive director.

The thinking here must be that it’s hard to raise money for a new administration building, so let’s just do it on bond. I suppose that makes some sense; alums usually give big gifts to certain schools or student-related projects, not administrative needs. I’d like to know where the other $30 million is going.

The university plans to use the bulk of the proceeds for the administration building. The project includes demolishing a building at 1212 W. Wisconsin Ave. and building a new structure to house administrative departments, which are spread around the campus. Marquette president Father Robert Wild’s office also will be in the new building. University officials expect construction to begin in spring or summer 2008.

Good riddance to the 1212 building. I’ll look forward to seeing sketches for the new offices soon. That’s a pretty quick pace for construction, though. I wonder how it will affect Abbotsford.

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