The $347 million engineering hall project was approved by Gov. Tony Evers in the state’s capital budget. Private philanthropists would have provided $147 million of the funding and $197 million of the funding was requested from the state.
So far, $100 million of the philanthropic funding has been raised, but the CEOs, such as Ms. Faulkner, said that without state support, the philanthropic funding could evaporate. The CEOs said that the new building would help meet the state’s demands for more engineers.