Gov. Tony Evers signed bipartisan bills providing state funding for a new College of Engineering building and campus infrastructure projects, along with changes to the Wisconsin-Minnesota tuition reciprocity agreement. The new 395,000-square-foot engineering facility, expected to cost about $397 million, will address critical workforce needs and allow for the enrollment of around 1,000 additional undergraduates in engineering. The legislation also includes funding for renovations to residence halls and utility improvements, and guarantees admission to top high school students.
The state legislative Joint Finance Committee has again withheld approval of a new College of Engineering building at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, despite it being the top priority on the UW Board of Regents list of building projects and included in a slate of projects proposed by Governor Tony Evers in the 2023-2025 state budget. The project, which was expected to produce hundreds of new graduates per year in fields in which Wisconsin employers face acute need for additional talent, was not included in a final list approved by the Joint Finance Committee on Thursday, June 1.
Purdue University's College of Engineering has been ranked fourth out of 220 universities in the US for the third consecutive year, according to the 2023-24 U.S. News & World Report national graduate school rankings. The university's analytical chemistry and agricultural and biological engineering programs were ranked first, while its computer science department rose to 14th in systems. Purdue's veterinary medicine program also climbed two spots to 11th. The university's newest initiative, Purdue Computes, aims to elevate all of computing at Purdue into the top 10.
