Building renovation, addition bids come in under budget

The University contracted Miron Construction Co. to convert Elmwood Commons into the new UW-Oshkosh Student Success Center Sept. 29.

The new Student Success Center will be a one-stop center for four offices providing critical student services:  the Undergraduate Advising Resource Center (UARC), Career Services, the Center for Academic Resources (CAR) and the University Counseling Center.

These offices have all recently grown considerably  and need more space.  In some cases, services offered by one office are located in several different buildings around campus. 

The 37,000-square-foot Elmwood Commons will be enlarged by 11,000 square feet so the new facility can comfortably provide all these student services. 

With the existing staff and work load, the new facility will have "a little wiggle room," according to Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Petra Roter.

"Every inch of that space has been programmed,"she said.

People who will move into the new building seem to be excited.

"We are bursting at the seams right now," Joseph Abhold, director of the Counseling Center, said. "Some programs that are connected to the Counseling Center are not even located at the Counseling Center."