Stainless-steel lettering decorates the exterior of the newly expanded Chazen Museum of Art at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The Chazen expansion was made possible by donor support. Photo by Jeff Miller, University Communications
How Gifts Grow & Sustain Our Great Places
Alumni and donor support has helped to transform UW-Madison. In Letters & Science, private support is increasingly used to renovate, redesign and upgrade our facilities.
Here are some ways that alumni, friends and donors have helped reshape our facilities:
- The Chazen Museum of Art expansion opened in 2011. The new 40,000 square foot facility is now home to 20,000 works of art. The expansion was made possible by a visionary gift of $25 million from Simona and Jerry Chazen with more than 140 donors helping to spur its completion.
- Renovation of the iconic Washburn Observatory to its former 19th century facade. The observatory was rededicated in 2009 and is now the home of the L&S Honors Program. The telescope is still utilized by the Astronomy Department and new classroom space is available for teaching.
- The James L. Hoyt Multimedia Classroom provides a state-of-the-art multimedia system for teaching and learning in the School of Journalism & Mass Communication. The classroom is named for Jim Hoyt, an emeritus professor of journalism and mass communication, and was supported by grants from Learfield Communications and gifts to the Jim L. Hoyt Excellence in Journalism Education Fund.
- The Hamel Family Digital Media Lab in Department of Communication Arts is a state-of-the-art instructional laboratory in Vilas Hall that offers courses in computer animation, interactive media, and basic web design. The facility was made possible by alumnus George Hamel (BA'80) with support from his family.
