ST. PAUL, Minn. – A pair of new classroom buildings that Winona State University wants to build has made the governor’s cut. The state construction budget that Governor Tim Walz recommended to the Legislature includes $4.8 million for further design work. The 73,000-suqare foot buildings would replace the 1960s vintage Gildemeister and Watkins buildings. An overhead traverse connecting the structures over King Street would create a visual west gateway to the campus. The structure would require $53 million to build and could be completed by 2026 if further state funding proceeds in schedule, planners said.
They call it CECIL. In fancy academic talk that’s short for Center for Interdisciplinary Collaboration, Engagement & Learning. What a mouth full. And it doesn’t easily tipple off the tongue. Yuck. Such an attractive structure deserves better.