Schneider Family Hall, home to the Donald J. Schneider School of Business and Economics at St. Norbert College. PC: Fox 11 Online
DE PERE, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — It’s the start of a new phase at St. Norbert College in De Pere, as staff and community members dedicated Thursday a brand new business school building.
It comes after staff layoffs and cuts to some programs that have plagued the school as of late.
“My husband, Don, would just love to be here,” said Patricia Schneider, the building’s namesake, along with her husband. “He is, I’m sure, so happy that this building got built and is going to do so much good.”
Schneider Family Hall, home to the Donald J. Schneider School of Business and Economics, was dedicated and blessed Thursday. Alumni, donors, students and staff got their first look at the new 45,000-square-foot building.
“We like to think that space and aesthetics don’t matter very much, but if you’re a young person studying, this is a great place to do it,” says Kevin Quinn, the dean of SNC’s business school.
But the new building, which was gifted by donors and the Schneider family, comes at an unusual time.
“This has been a challenging time for the college,” said Paul Schneider, son of Don and Patricia, who gave a substantial donation for the building. “But we feel very strongly that the college is in a great place, and this is part of that building up of the university.”
As the college saw enrollment numbers continue to drop, 27 faculty members were laid off and 15 majors and minors were cut earlier this year. That’s on top of dozens of staff layoffs in 2023.
“Every organization goes through different periods where it adjusts to the needs of students and the needs of the community. So I would say that’s what we’re doing. We do it in an ongoing way,” says SNC President Laurie Joyner.
Faculty and staff view the new building as a new chapter for the whole school — a revamping and adjustment after difficult changes.
“It’s no secret that higher education has challenges, and you know, we’re at an inflection point in the way that the public views what we do,” says Quinn. “I still [am] 100% solid sure that the return on investment is smart, and people will see that, I think, as the years roll off. But you know, we’re a community, and we need to celebrate things and not just do the hard things, and this came at a really great time.”
As some in the community questioned whether a new building in the midst of layoffs and program cuts was really necessary, staff say the gift was needed and is beyond appreciated.
“The business school is doing well. We’re up in terms of enrollments and all that, so we’re happy, and we need the space. But symbolically, as you look around this — this is, I think, pretty much a symbol of what St. Norbert’s 2.0 is,” Quinn said.
The new building stands where the former Abbot Pennings High School once was, and there are nods to the previous school throughout the new building.
Classes in the new business school building are already well underway.
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