University of Illinois trustee Karen Hasara remembers her days as a then-Sangamon State University student in 1970.
“We thought the buildings would be very temporary, and they’re still here,” she said. “It was hard to find a place to talk to fellow students.”
That’s about to change.
U of I officials from both Springfield and Champaign, current and former students, and donors gathered on the University of Illinois Springfield South Quad Wednesday to ceremonially break ground for the school’s $21.7 million student union that will be funded almost entirely by private donations and student fees.
“I didn’t think it would take this long,” said Hasara, a former Springfield mayor, state legislator and holder of two degrees from UIS.
The two-story, 50,000 square-foot facility is expected to be completed early in 2018, and student fees won’t go up until the building is in use.
UIS Chancellor Susan Koch welcomed the crowd to Wednesday's groundbreaking.
“I can’t tell you how long I’ve been looking forward to saying those words,” she said.
The story was reported by The State Journal-Register on May 5, 2016.
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