Posted 12:30 p.m. Thursday, July 3, 2025
UWL science facility will bolster education, research, workforce development
The completion of the Prairie Springs Science Center at UW-La Crosse — a facility that will transform science education and workforce development in the state of Wisconsin — will soon become a reality.
Funding for the $194 million project was included in the state budget bill passed by the Legislature and signed into law by Gov. Tony Evers Thursday morning.
“We are thrilled that the Prairie Springs Science Center completion project is moving forward,” Chancellor James Beeby said. “While it took considerable time and effort to reach the finish line, we were determined to see this through because we were confident in the knowledge that finishing Prairie Springs would lift up our entire state. Wisconsin needs more excellent scientists, more skilled healthcare workers and more imaginative innovators — and that is exactly what a world-class facility like Prairie Springs will provide. This is an investment in the future of Wisconsin.
“I want to thank Gov. Tony Evers for championing this project, and the Legislature for seeing the value this will bring to our workforce development efforts.
“Most of all, I want to express my heartfelt gratitude to our campus community, alumni, friends, and business and community partners who believed in this project and advocated on our behalf every step of the way. We could not have done it without you."
The completion of the Prairie Springs Science Center will add 30 new STEM classrooms, laboratories and collaborative spaces that will support student learning, cutting-edge research and innovative curricula designed in close collaboration with regional employers.
The project’s importance to workforce development efforts in La Crosse and throughout Wisconsin is a key reason why it was supported by businesses such as Kwik Trip, Mayo Clinic Health System, Emplify Health by Gundersen, Trane, J.F. Brennan Company, Dairyland Power Cooperative, the synergy group partners — the La Crosse Area Chamber of Commerce, LADCO, the 7 Rivers Alliance and DMI — and many others.
UWL’s College of Science & Health serves as a major pipeline of skilled workers in the STEM fields, many of whom go on to successful careers across the state. Nearly half of UWL’s 10,000-plus students are pursuing degrees in the sciences, and 87% of graduates continue to live and work in Wisconsin upon graduation.
As part of the completion of Prairie Springs, Cowley Hall, the university’s current 60-year-old science building, will be demolished. This comes after the first half of the building opened in 2018.
Work on the project will begin in spring 2026, and is expected to be complete by fall 2028.
