After a year and a half of renovation and construction costing $25.67 million, Ullsvik Hall is once again filled with students, staff and faculty.

The project began construction May 9, 2006, and has not been used since the summer of 2006 when the renovation project required that all services in the building be moved to other locations on campus.

The renovation project stayed within its budget, Robert Cramer, assistant chancellor for administrative services, said. Ten million dollars came from state funds, $13.1 million came from funding from the Tri-State Initiative, $600,000 from gifts and $1.97 million from other university funds.

The 149,105 square foot renovated building was ready for students returning to school to start the 2008 spring semester. Cramer said that 95,900 square feet is new area added to the building. Ullsvik Hall, which served as the UW-Platteville student center from 1959 through 2002, is now host to 10 new classrooms.

Many business administration and criminal justice classes are filling the classrooms. This is a result of these departments’ offices being located in the building. However, other classes may be held there in the future.

“In our current budget, we need to be wise how we use our classrooms,” Assistant Chancellor for Student Affairs Michael Viney said. Viney said that the university will continue to match class sizes with appropriate classrooms wherever they are available.

Additional classrooms will be created by the moves in other areas on campus. The basement of Karrmann library will have classrooms where the Distance Learning Center was located.

“We will be assessing what updating needs to occur in the vacated spaces,” Pete Davis, UW-P facilities engineer, said. “We will then complete the necessary remodeling.”

The renovated building is now the home of a number of offices and campus resources including the chancellor’s office, the Career Center, Prospective Student Services, payroll and admissions. Nearly 20 office areas were part of the move. Updated utilities, such as electrical and plumbing systems, were also installed to handle the new capacities of the building.

Heidi Tuescher-Gille, recruitment manager for Prospective Student Services, was excited about the move. With larger presentation rooms and more centralized resources, she thinks they will be better able to meet the needs of prospective students.

“It is an advantage to bring prospective students right into a new building,” Tuescher-Gille said. She also looks forward to having the Nohr Gallery and the brand new campus museum just outside their entrance.

While the Distance Learning Center was the last office to move this week, the building is still not fully operational. Work is still being completed on the Nohr Gallery and Velzy Commons ballroom. Cabinets are also still being installed for the Hickory and Main Corner Bistro, a new area similar to the Pioneer Perk with an expanded menu. Viney said the area should open soon after work is finished.

Viney said he hopes the ballroom and other areas will be completed by the first part of February, in time for the spring Career Fair.