APPLETON, Wis. (WFRV) – Lawrence University opened its first academic building in over 30 years, cutting the ribbon on the West Campus Friday morning.
“Together we are building the bridges between the past and future, and building bridges within the community,” President Laurie Carter said.
Lawrence University hopes the new West Campus will continue to connect the community and learning in one space.
“We grew up together, Appleton and Lawrence,” Vice President of Enrollment and Communications Christyn Abaray said.
“It is important to us as an institution to continue to show and be who we are to the community, being a partner in all ways we can,” Abaray said.
The new campus will feature new classrooms, spaces for students to study and the Trout Museum of Art on the first floor. The upper levels include apartments, open for the community to start renting.
University leaders say that having a building with so many different uses was intentional for students’ learning.
“For us, the type of learning we do is experiential, but we are preparing our students for life after Lawrence, which is the real world, and part of that is interaction with other people, taking what they learn in the classroom and putting it into practice in a real setting,” Abaray said.
Students who will be taking classes at West Campus echoed the idea.
“I think it will help us become more connected to Appleton, that will be nice,” one Lawrence University sophomore said. “In passing, we will meet people who don’t go to Lawrence but are a part of the community.”
West Campus will serve as a place where both students and the community will learn and grow together.
Lawrence University said the project cost around $32 million to complete.
