We Energies 90 acres no longer part of Cardinal Stritch University expansion plan in St. Francis

Source: Cardinal Stritch University

In July 2008, Cardinal Stritch University began negotiations with the Archdiocese of Milwaukee to purchase the Cousins Center at 3501 S. Lake Drive in St. Francis. The 415,000 square foot building has been underutilized for years and the Archdiocese wanted to sell the property. The purchase agreement under negotiation was contingent upon also buying approximately 90 acres to the south of the Cousins Center owned by We Energies, for use as athletic fields on the new campus.

As it gathered more information about the We Energies land, the University decided against purchasing the property because of the current downturn in the economy. The Board believes that this is the time to be prudent and develop the best fiscal plan for the new campus.

This gives Stritch a new opportunity, however, to look at other sites and facilities in St. Francis and the South Shore as possible athletic venues for its sports teams and recreational sites for students.

Stritch began negotiations to purchase the Cousins Center because the University has outgrown the current campus in Fox Point/Glendale. More space was needed to accommodate undergraduate students as Stritch’s enrollment has increased in recent years.

Discussions on purchasing the Cousins Center without the We Energies property will continue. However, the entire economic atmosphere that supported the initial offer has changed and Stritch officials must take that into consideration.

The University has three major construction projects currently underway to address the need for more undergraduate housing and expand several programs already established in Milwaukee. Over the summer, the building on the Fox Point/Glendale campus that currently houses the College of Education and Leadership is being remodeled into a residence hall for approximately 90 undergraduates. In addition, the lower level of the current residence building, Clare Hall, is being refitted as office space for faculty.

In December 2008, Stritch announced its plans to convert a three-story building in the Brewery redevelopment project in downtown Milwaukee into classrooms, offices and meeting space for the College of Education and Leadership and other programs. This building, to be called Cardinal Stritch University City Center, is scheduled to open in May 2009.

About Stritch | Cardinal Stritch University is the largest Franciscan institution of higher education in the nation and the second-largest independent university in Wisconsin. It enrolls about 7,000 men and women of all faiths and ages in four colleges: Arts and Sciences, Education and Leadership, Business and Management, and the Ruth S. Coleman College of Nursing.