Living and Learning Center: Campus Development History
The campus was built in 1967 and opened in the fall of 1968. It is jointly owned and maintained by Sauk County and the City of Baraboo under Section 66.30 Wisconsin Statutes. The academic program is provided by the University of Wisconsin. The Campus Commission was established by a resolution of the Common Council of the City of Baraboo and the Sauk County Board of Supervisors in 1969. Commission Bylaws, Section 2, Article 2 provide for the Campus Commission in consultation with the campus dean to develop campus building plans for joint city/county approval and funding.

The campus was originally designed for 300 students and cost $1.59M to build. An additional investment of $269K was spent over the next two decades to add maintenance, music, greenhouse, and art facilities. The city and county jointly fund an annual budget that the Campus Commission administers for maintenance and small capital projects. This budget stands at $150,000 per year.

In 1990, the county and city approved a Campus Commission expenditure for a space study and updated master plan for completion, remodeling and upgrading for the campus facilities to meet (then) current needs, ADA requirements and anticipate future growth. The plan was completed in 1992. 

In 1995, the Lange Bequest funds enabled the construction of the Lange Student Center, and the remaining Lange funds accrued interest that were then available to be used to help offset the funding of additional campus building needs. These were utilized in 1996 when the city and county provided $2.730 M to construct/remodel the Music, Library, and classroom buildings, bringing the facility to a total of 150,000 square feet.

The Living and Learning Center is the next logical development for the campus. Not only will it have a positive impact upon our students’ educational experience, it will contribute to the region’s economic development and awareness of alternative and sustainable technologies.