August 10 campus cooling update: All buildings operational

The following message was sent from Robert Cramer, Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administration to faculty and staff on August 10, 2026.

To the campus community,

Thanks to the dedication of many individuals across campus, all buildings have reopened and have returned to normal operations. As a reminder, all employees located in these buildings should return to their standard onsite workplace arrangements today. Please contact your supervisor if you have questions.

On behalf of our campus community, I want to extend my gratitude to those who responded quickly to this challenge, maintaining cooling to critical areas, planning ongoing operations despite the disruption, and restoring chilled water services. Many across campus were directly impacted, yet collectively we continued our educational, research, and impact missions through the closure.

The mobile chilling units located on campus will remain into September. We will be monitoring the performance of the chilled water system, assessing the results of repair efforts, and preserving capacity in the event we experience late summer days with high temperatures and humidity.

All the buildings that were closed or partially closed were maintained throughout this time period and steps have been taken to facilitate their safe, efficient reopening. It is possible that you might notice small environmental condition changes in the buildings that have been reopened. These should be temporary and resolve as building systems return to normal operation. You may also identify areas that need immediate custodial attention. Please refer to the FAQ page for additional information, including new questions and answers about building condition and safety.

If you have further questions that cannot be answered by your supervisor or building manager, please call Physical Plant Customer Service at 608-263-3333. Concerns can also be sent to [email protected].

Unless circumstances change, this message will be the final update related to campus cooling.

Thank you again for your support and cooperation,

Robert Cramer

Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administration