Future SNC Expansions Explained

Undoubtedly, St. Norbert College is changing at a rapid pace. With the addition of the Mulva Library and Gries Hall this year, many students and community members are wondering what is next for the campus. The former Todd Wehr Library, now Todd Wehr Hall, is now under renovation and has opened up many opportunities for the future growth of the school. John Barnes, director of facilities, was more than enthusiastic to discuss the current renovations and the future goals of SNC.

He discussed the changes and the future of Todd Wehr Hall with a smile on his face: "It is marvelous that we are not only renovating the building, but we actually are helping to build and strengthen many of the programs that will be moved into [Todd Wehr Hall].

The building will be renovated to be a student services building that includes the offices for financial aid, payroll, Residence Education and Hosing (REH), the bookstore, Norbertine Vocations, the parish office, academic support services, career services and other student services.

"We want to have one central information desk where students can go and get 80 percent of their questions answered," Barnes said. "We really wanted to use the building as a single source, or one-stop-shop for student services in the middle of campus."

The main floor of Todd Wehr Hall will be used for the high volume services that draw students, with other organizations on the top floors.

"The building should be ready in February of this year and operating in March," Barnes explained. "Now, instead of running all over campus to take care of say, a payroll problem, students will be able to get everything taken care of right in Todd Wehr Hall."

With the bookstore moving, the question remains: what will become of the St. Boniface building, current home of the bookstore?

"Right now, we are not sure what we are going to do with the building," Barnes stated. "We have invited people to write proposals for the building, but none have been reviewed yet."

One such proposal, made by Dr. Michael Marsden, dean of the college and academic vice president, is to transform the bookstore into a theatre space, in part, because of the building's acoustics.

While the future of the St. Boniface building is undetermined, the facilities department is open to suggestions.

Along with the bookstore building becoming vacant, many rooms in the John Minihan Science Building (JMS), which had housed the services moving into Todd Wehr Hall, have spaces open for future development.

"This falls perfectly with our plans for the future," Barnes stated. This plan is to renovate JMS to purely a science and math building. "The student service offices needed to move out of there for the future renovations," Barnes said. "We can now look to create a preliminary design of the renovations and additions to the building that are about five years out."

Besides the major changes, including the plans for Todd Wehr Hall and JMS, St. Norbert facilities department continues to make small updates to buildings around campus. Barnes described these as the focus buildings.

This year many updates were made to Burke Hall, including the renovation of the lounge, kitchen and most of the windows, and the addition of new windows and furniture in most of the building.

"Our next focus building will most likely be Schuldes Sports Center," Barnes said. "It needs a new roof."

Perhaps the most exciting update Barnes and the facilities department delivered is the ground breaking for the new Donald J. Schneider Outdoor Athletic Complex.

"We are actually beginning the earth work this fall," Barnes said enthusiastically. "We will be beginning grating in the next few weeks."

The Schneider complex will be built on property already owned by the College, south of the campus in West De Pere, on Lost Dauphin Road and just north of Scheuring Road.

"After we finish the earth work, we will let the ground settle over the winter and begin building in the spring," Barnes explained. "We expect to be playing football on the new field next fall," he added with a smile.

Barnes mentioned that "President Kunkel has often described St. Norbert College as an institution on the move, and indeed it is in many aspects." He added, "the momentum of the facilities projects on campus is definitely a contributing factor to the college's momentum."

The amazing progress and addition of new buildings and creation of goals for the future have made SNC a college on the move, and a growing opportunity for incoming students.