2023-25 Capital Budget Priorities
Student Development & Success Center ($53.75 million)
WWU is requesting design and construction funds to build a welcome center and consolidated space for front-line student support services. Critical student services such as admissions, advising and counseling are currently located in remote, difficult to access locations on campus. Western’s campus also lacks a dedicated welcome center for prospective students and families and other visitors. The proposed 40,000 square foot Student Development & Success Center will address both of these needs by co-locating a welcome center with student advising, admissions, counseling,
student health services and career development into one collaborative facility. Creating a services ‘hub’ where student support activities are prominently located will help normalize the activity of seeking out services. Similarly, health and wellness programs will utilize multi-purpose rooms and other building features to prominently showcase wellness activities available to students.
Critical Safety, Access Control, and Fiber Optics Upgrades ($15 million)
The project will install electronic controls on exterior doors of all academic buildings, as well as new hardware on classroom doors to enable locking from the inside in the case of an active shooter or other campus emergency. The project will also replace WWU’s existing fiber optic communications system, which is reaching the end of useful life and does not have capacity to accept the additional anticipated load of an expanded and improved access control security system or to meet the increasing needs of faculty, students, and staff.
Minor Works - Preservation ($25 million), Minor Works - Program ($10 million)
These omnibus minor works categories represent Western’s highest priority needs to modernize, improve, and preserve our existing assets. Projects under these categories include: facility renewal; modernizing existing space to provide needed programmatic improvements; health, safety and code compliance; infrastructure renewal; and modernization of elevators across several academic facilities that currently do not conform to current codes and are need of modernization and repair.
Environmental Studies Center Renovation ($500,000 for pre-design)
This pre-design request would renovate the 46-year-old Environmental Studies Center that is woefully outdated, with most internal building systems at the end of their useful life. This building is in a prime location on Western’s campus that has the potential to be an energizing center for STEM activities with adequate modernization and renovation.
Heating Conversion Project ($10 million)
WWU currently operates an over 75-year old central heating plant and distribution system based on high pressure steam. Steam production through burning of natural gas represents a significant portion of Western’s annual carbon footprint. WWU is requesting funding for partial design (includes comprehensive testing and surveying) for the project in the 2023-25 biennium.
Classroom, Lab, & Collaboration Space Upgrades ($10 million)
The 2023-25 Classroom and Lab Upgrades would renovate and repurpose approximately 56 individual classrooms and labs throughout campus, extending the useful life of these spaces by approximately 25 years.