
As enrollments have steadily increased throughout the last two decades, the Department of Chemistry has recognized the critical importance of planning for additional space to accommodate the soaring demand for undergraduate chemistry courses.
General Chemistry 103 and 104 are the courses with the highest enrollments on campus during the fall and spring semesters, respectively. Virtually all students majoring in the sciences, engineering, and allied health fields require chemistry courses as prerequisites for courses in their majors. Therefore, the ability to accommodate large freshman general chemistry and sophomore organic chemistry enrollments is an important factor influencing time-to-degree for a significant portion of all undergraduates on campus.
In August 2012, the UW System Board of Regents voted to include the $103.5 million Chemistry Building Project in the capital budget for the 2013-15 biennium. This action represents an important step in the approval process, but it is not the final step. In the spring, the project will go to the State Building Commission and the State Legislature for the next step in the approval process.