University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point and Sentry Insurance leaders marked the official start of a major transformation on campus Wednesday, Sept. 9, with a ceremonial wall breaking for Sentry Hall, the future home of the Sentry School of Business and Economics.
UWSP Chancellor Bob Brinkmann, Sentry School Head Kevin Neuman and Sentry Chairman and CEO Pete McPartland joined university, business and community leaders to celebrate the $98 million modernization project, which will transform the former Collins Classroom Center at 1801 Fourth Ave., Stevens Point, into a new state-of-the-art learning environment designed to prepare students for successful careers and leadership opportunities.
“The Sentry Hall modernization project will allow us to continue to expand applied learning opportunities for our students in support of our mission to develop career-ready graduates and leaders,” said Neuman. “This project is an investment in UWSP students as well as the citizens and employers of Wisconsin and beyond.”
“This project stands as a testament to the partnership between UW-Stevens Point and Sentry and our commitment to address the talent development needs of the region,” said Brinkmann.
Sentry Insurance’s $10 million gift to UW-Stevens Point helped support the project. The donation to the School of Business and Economics is the largest one-time gift in the Sentry Insurance Foundation’s history, and the largest the university has ever received.
“For Sentry, this is about investing in people and creating opportunities for students to build the skills, confidence and experience they need to succeed,” said Pete McPartland, Sentry Chairman and CEO. “We’ve called this community home for more than a century, and we know firsthand how important a strong university and business school is to its success and to ours. We’re incredibly proud to be part of this project and what it will mean for generations of students, helping them build successful careers while strengthening the community and workforce we all depend on.”
The project will add 20,000 square feet to the building and transform the interior space into active learning classrooms, collaboration spaces and student centers. It includes the replacement of all building mechanical, electrical, plumbing, fire suppression and heating/cooling systems. The building will also have a new façade that ensures energy efficiency and thermal performance.
Sentry Hall will include the Anderson Classroom to Career Center, faculty and administrative offices for the Sentry School and the dean of the College of Professional Studies and a new Entrepreneurship Center that includes the UWSP Small Business Development Center. The building will also the Center for Data Analytics, Center for Sales Excellence, Center for Business and Economic Insight and the Ruth E. Salzmann Center for Women’s Leadership.
The project was designed by Aro Eberle Architects, with work by Miron Construction. It is projected to be completed for the 2028-29 academic year.
UWSP’s Sentry School of Business and Economics provides students with professional development experiences, access to employers and in-demand skills. Majors include accounting, business administration, business economics, data analytics, finance, management, marketing and sport business, as well as an MBA in applied leadership and decision-making. The Sentry School is accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), an achievement earned by only 5% of the world’s schools offering business degrees.