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UW Oshkosh buys Newman Center

The University of Wisconsin Oshkosh Foundation has signed an agreement with the Green Bay Diocese to buy the Newman Center to house its growing programs.

The sale will not immediately change the diocese's use of the Newman Center. Masses will continue in the 700-seat sanctuary, and the diocese will be provided room for offices, meetings and counseling for up to two years.

The building, which is adjacent to campus at 717 W. Irving Ave., will be renamed the "Foundation Center."

"I am pleased that the Newman Center and the university came to a mutually beneficial agreement," said Bp. Robert Banks. "The building is in a great location for UW Oshkosh and should serve the university well for many years to come. At the same time the proceeds from the sale will enable the Newman Center to continue and strengthen its important ministry to the University community."

Mark Mogilka, diocesan director of Pastoral Services whose department includes the Newman Center said, "Now that the sale is complete the diocese will move forward with its plan to utilize sale proceeds to search out a site near the campus and either renovate an existing building or build a smaller, more cost-effective and functional student campus ministry center."

Preliminary plans, Mogilka said, "call for a student drop-in center with a comfortable lounge, office space for campus ministers, meeting rooms and a small chapel. Larger groups, such as Sunday morning worship and other programs, will be provided at St. Peter Catholic Church, which is only three blocks from the former Newman Center site."

Before the sale becomes final, air conditioning will be installed, the heating system will be upgraded and remodeling will be completed in the building. The work will be financed by the UW Oshkosh Foundation.

The new Foundation Center will house the Division of Academic Support Services, a Reading Study Center and a new UW Oshkosh Women's Center, to encourage the academic, personal and professional success of women students, staff and faculty. The sanctuary will also be used for a variety of gatherings and cultural events.

When the diocese announced its intention to sell the Newman Center, funds were not immediately available from the state to buy it for UWO.

But then, said Thomas Keefe, foundation president, "in our new role as an entrepreneurial support mechanism for the university, we were able to respond immediately."

The foundation also will buy the UW Oshkosh Credit Union building along High Avenue to replace the cramped University Police facility.

The university's master space plan finished earlier this year found the campus about 214,000 square feet short of classroom, support service and other space needs. The plan's long-range proposals included a new College of Business Administration academic building and the establishment of a Student Support and Development Center (SSDC).

The new Foundation Center will be part of a proposed student support corridor along Elmwood Avenue that will also include Elmwood Commons.

The new Foundation Center should be ready by April 1, said Tom Sonnleitner, vice chancellor for administrative services.

Acquisition of the Newman Center, which was built in 1967, provides the university with needed space in a well-constructed building at a cost far less than it would take to construct a new building, Sonnleitner said.