Nicholases provide lead gift for Human Ecology Building project

UW–Madison and its School of Human Ecology announced Wednesday that Nancy Johnson Nicholas and her husband, Albert “Ab” Nicholas, have provided an $8 million lead gift for a new addition and remodeling of the school’s historic building.

Nancy Johnson Nicholas, a 1955 graduate of the school, says, “I believe in the School of Human Ecology’s mission of enhancing the quality of life for people in all economic situations. I’m impressed with their curriculum.

“The education that students receive is topnotch, but the facilities make it very difficult for everyone involved,” she says. “Helping to create a new learning environment under one roof that will benefit the students, the faculty, the staff and the collections is exciting.”

The estimated cost of the project is $40 million in 2007 dollars, of which $17.5 million will come from private gifts for the new addition. Program revenue, including parking, is expected to cover $2.5 million, with $20 million requested from state-supported borrowing.

“We thank Nancy and Ab for their vision and generosity in providing this gift, which will have a transforming impact on the school’s programs,” says John D. Wiley, UW–Madison chancellor.

“We believe this is the largest single private gift ever made to a human ecology
program,” says Robin A. Douthitt, dean of the School of Human Ecology.

“I’m pleased that this lead gift comes from a human ecology alumna whose life and family exemplifies the importance of career, family and community,” Douthitt says. “The Nicholas-Johnson family names evoke the same high values and integrity embodied in our school’s mission, its proud history and exciting future.”

Constructed in 1913, the Human Ecology Building has been the school’s home base since fall 1914. Facilities also include the Human Development and Family Studies Building, built in 1941, and the Preschool Building, completed in 1955. “Our current facilities do not begin to meet the demands of our growing programs,” Douthitt says.

The improved facilities will – for the first time – accommodate all functions of the school within a single building, and will meet the requirements for research, creative endeavors and education space, outreach and much-needed technology upgrades. The enlarged and modernized building also will offer an inviting area for public events and interdisciplinary research space.

Human ecology faculty members serve as principal investigators on grants totaling $7.8 million and as co-principal investigators on grants totaling $48 million. “When a faculty member receives a grant and hires staff for a new research project, we have no space in our building to house them,” Douthitt says.

“As just one example, human ecology’s Southern Child Welfare Training Partnership is moving off-site to accommodate its need for more space,” she says. The partnership provides scores of workshops annually to child welfare professionals in 20 Wisconsin counties.

Building renderings and project cost estimates were derived from a master plan created in partnership with Taliesin Architects in 2001.

The School of Human Ecology, consistently ranked in the top 10 among peer institutions, offers undergraduate programs in retailing, interior design, personal finance, consumer affairs in business, human development and family studies, textile and apparel design, community leadership, family and consumer education, and family and consumer journalism. It enrolls 1,000 undergraduate students and 100 graduate students.

Creative endeavors are another significant component of the work of the school. The Design Gallery provides essential exhibition space for students, faculty and other artists. The Helen Louise Allen Textile Collection, one of the largest ethnographic collections in the world, is used by students, scholars, designers and the community.

The school also houses the Center for Excellence in Family Studies, which involves scholars from many UW–Madison departments conducting research on family issues worldwide. The Family Impact Seminars, sponsored by the center, provide nonpartisan information to lawmakers and other policymakers on the impact of policy decisions on family issues.

Human ecology’s Preschool Laboratory provides child care to about 120 children and serves as a research facility for faculty and graduate students around campus.

“Our new facilities will reflect a visionary dream of future excellence through design of a physical environment worthy of our programs,” Douthitt says.

Nancy Johnson Nicholas and Ab Nicholas, who received his UW bachelor’s degree in business in 1952 and an MBA in 1955, have given generously to many programs on campus, including the School of Business and the Department of Intercollegiate Athletics. The Nicholas-Johnson Pavilion for basketball bears their family names.

This gift is part of Create the Future: The Wisconsin Campaign, which invites those who care about UW–Madison to build on the university’s strength and momentum to create an even more vibrant institution.

The existing School of Human Ecology building has long been the home base of the most school programs since fall 1914. Located just to the west on Linden Drive, the Human Development and Family Studies Building and the Preschool Laboratory also have long needed additional space.

While these facilities served the school well in the past, they do not meet the current standards for research, education, technological capability and accessibility.

The master plan created by Taliesin Architects consolidates the three buildings through an expansion of the historic Human Ecology Building and charts major improvements.

Among them:

• A unified school with programs clustered around a new ground-level main entrance and commons space.
• A modern research preschool facility, doubling student capacity.
• Much-needed graduate student office and studio space, student organization space, student gallery space and wireless study areas.
• Media-rich learning spaces, particularly important to the design programs.
• Consolidation of faculty office and research spaces, improving student access to faculty.
• Accessible space for the school’s Design Gallery, textile and library collections, allowing scholarly and public use not currently possible.
• Twice the space for research and program/outreach.
• Significant increase in the current number of parking spaces in central campus.
• Increasing seminar and conference room space, allowing meetings, seminars and community events to be held on-site.