Groundbreaking for Winther, Heide halls April 17

Groundbreaking for Winther, Heide halls April 17

April 20, 2026

The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater officially broke ground on the renovation of Winther and Heide halls, marking the official beginning of an almost $90 million renovation of the two 1960s-era buildings on the east side of campus.

The groundbreaking celebration took place beginning at noon on Friday, April 17, 2026, outside of Winther Hall. After a welcome from Mike Dugan, dean of the College of Arts and Communication, speakers included Chancellor Corey A. King, Julie Gordon, vice president for finance and administration at the Universities of Wisconsin, Robin Fox, interim provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs, Tori Marian, secondary English education and theatre education major, and Lana Collet-Klingenberg, dean of the College of Education and Professional Studies.

Audience members listening to Chancellor Corey A. King at the podium are seen through the handle of a ceremonial shovel on Friday, April 17, 2026,. About 150 people, including students, university officials, community members, legislators, and Universities of Wisconsin representatives, held a ceremonial groundbreaking on the Whitewater campus to celebrate the official beginning of the renovation of Winther and Heide halls. (UW-Whitewater photo/Craig Schreiner)

Chancellor Corey A. King welcomes the audience at the ceremonial groundbreaking on the Whitewater campus on Friday, April 17, 2026, to celebrate the official beginning of the renovation of Winther and Heide halls. Among the speakers, from left, were Mike Dugan, dean of the College of Arts and Communication, Julie Gordon, vice president for finance and administration at the Universities of Wisconsin, and Robin Fox, interim provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs. (UW-Whitewater photo/Craig Schreiner)

From left, Brian Robinson, an alum who serves as marketing director at Fairhaven Senior Services, Chancellor Emeritus Gaylon Greenhill, Hannah Greenhill, and Kiefer Sullivan with University Relations enjoy a laugh as Chancellor Corey A. King speaks at the podium outside Winther Hall on Friday, April 17, 2026, to celebrate the official beginning of the renovation of Winther and Heide halls. (UW-Whitewater photo/Craig Schreiner)

From left, Robin Fox, Tori Marian, Dan Wiitanen, Lana Collet-Klingenberg, Chancellor Corey A. King, Mike Dugan, Dakota Perish, Douglas Bradley, Julie Gordon and Brenda Jones take shovels of dirt for a ceremonial groundbreaking on Friday, April 17, 2026, to celebrate the official beginning of the renovation of Winther and Heide halls. (UW-Whitewater photo/Craig Schreiner)

Lana Collet-Klingenberg, left, dean of the College of Education and Professional Studies, and Chancellor Corey A. King celebrate the start of the renovation outside Winther Hall as Douglas Bradley, student body president, applauds on Friday, April 17, 2026. (UW-Whitewater photo/Craig Schreiner)

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The event - which featured the theme Growing Minds, Building Futures - capitalized on the annual spring meeting of the UW-Whitewater Foundation board of directors on campus and was open to all, including state and local elected representatives, civic leaders and other business and community members.

Funds for the project - with a final budget just over $89 million - were approved as part of a capital budget bill by the state legislature on Feb. 22, 2024, and signed into law by Governor Tony Evers on March 6 of that year. The bulk of the funding will go toward a complete renovation of Winther Hall, home to the College of Education and Professional Studies.

Renderings of the planned renovation of Winther Hall include student study areas, open labs and lecture halls that contain updated technology to support modern teaching methods. That teaching in turn addresses a crucial workforce need in the state and the region, as UW-Whitewater licenses the most teachers in Wisconsin through its teacher education programs.

Construction is slated to begin in May 2026, with classes expected to resume in the building in spring 2029.

Classes will continue to be held during the renovation of nearby Heide Hall, which will receive roof and window replacements and new elevators as part of the project. Green Bay-based Somerville Architects + Engineers is the architect for both projects.

Winther Hall and Heide Hall naming opportunities

Supporters are invited to meaningfully invest in the future of our students, the college, and the university as a whole by participating in the many available naming opportunities for the college's flagship educational building. Available spaces in Winther Hall include the state-of-the-art Literacy Lab, a variety of classrooms and lecture halls, tech centers and other student spaces, and endowed professorships, chairs and fellowships.

Use this form to indicate your interest in finding out more about naming opportunities.