LU to unveil new halls at Re-Dedication Ceremony
As students return to the Lakeland University campus this month for fall classes, two new residence halls await them, part of the largest single investment in Lakeland’s main campus in the institution’s 160-year history.
Lakeland constructed the new halls to serve freshman and sophomores, along with a water tower and related infrastructure. The project is funded by a $35.4 million fixed-rate low interest loan from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development division, which LU received in 2020.
Lakeland will host a Re-Dedication Ceremony and Open House on Thursday, August 25, at 5 p.m., followed by tours and a free picnic. The event is open to the public, and folks can register to attend at Lakeland.edu/rsvp. The deadline to sign up is August 17.
The two identical residence halls are located on the area south of the Younger Family Campus Center on the sites which had been occupied by decades-old Grosshuesch and Muehlmeier Halls, which were demolished in 2021.
The new halls – which retain the names Grosshuesch and Muehlmeier – provide Lakeland with 400 beds, compared to 291 beds available in the halls they are replacing. With the completed halls, Lakeland will house students in seven residence halls on campus.
“This is a transformational investment that is the best possible news for Lakeland,” said LU President Beth Borgen. “Coupled with the recent multi-million-dollar renovations of the Younger Family Campus Center and Taylor Field, the creation of our Cooperative Education program and the acquisition of Jake’s, A Lakeland Community in downtown Sheboygan, Lakeland is positioned for future growth for decades to come.
“It took tremendous effort on the part of many employees and students to realize this vision,” Borgen said. “We are thankful to our Board of Trustees for their leadership and support.”
The halls are named for Herman Muehlmeier, one of the institution’s founders who served as president from 1885-1907, and Paul Grosshuesch, a graduate of the institution who served as president from 1931-49. David Gross, the grandson of Grosshuesch and great-great-grandson-in-law of Muehlmeier, will speak on behalf of the family at the August 25 ceremony.
Along with the additional, updated housing for students, each new hall will provide resident support functions including front desk area, vending, lounge spaces, kitchenettes, study rooms, gender-neutral bathrooms, laundry facilities, recycling centers, bottle-filling station and more.
Each building will have a basement to provide resident storage space and unfinished square footage for the ability to build out additional resident program space in the future.
Lakeland was the only college/university to receive a USDA loan in 2020. USDA officials noted that a primary reason Lakeland secured the loan was its innovative Cooperative Education program.
The Co-Op program offers students in all academic programs the ability to work full- and part-time jobs at partner companies, earn academic credit for their work and the ability to use wages earned to reduce or eliminate post-graduation tuition debt.
