UW-Madison School of Computer, Data & Information Sciences to receive new home

MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) - University of Wisconsin- Madison’s newest school is receiving a new home.

The university revealed that construction will begin Tuesday on a nearly 350,000-square-foot building to house the School of Computer, Data & Information Sciences, which was launched in 2019.

The college combines the Computer Sciences and Statistics departments, as well as the Information School. It includes the university’s fastest-growing major and largest major, data science and computer sciences respectively, and officials explained that the new building will help support the quickly growing student body. The college also includes UW-Madison’s newest major, information science.

The $260 million, seven-story building will have classrooms holding as many as 1,100 seats and a learning center to help all students. It will also house related campus entities, including the UW School of Medicine and Public Health’s Department of Biostatistics & Medical Informatics, the American Family Insurance Data Science Institute, the N+1 Institute and the Center for High Throughput Computing.

Tom Erickson, founding director of CDIS and a veteran tech engineer, explained that students and staff in almost every discipline require digital skills now.

“CDIS helps our students pair the power of digital sciences with the almost unmatched breadth of highly regarded education and research programs at UW–Madison,” Erickson said.

The project will have a focus on sustainability in the building, UW-Madison officials shared. It will be the most sustainable facility on campus and its rooftop will include high-efficiency solar panels and a solar trellis.

The building is expected to be completed in 2025. It will be funded entirely from private donations, including a $125 million gift from Tashia and John Morgridge, and $50 million from the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation.

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