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insight on Economic By Mar yB eth Mat zek development Opening doors courtesy of UW-Oshkosh Oshkosh sees new downtown development, aviation business park creation T he University of WisconsinOshkosh's new "front door" is the latest Oshkosh development designed to bring more people downtown. Opening this April, the UWOshkosh Alumni Welcome and Conference Center is on the Fox River adjacent to the Wisconsin Street Bridge on the campus' southern edge. The 40,000-square-foot facility will feature a variety of state-of-the-art conference and meeting spaces including a ballroom that seats 460 people, four breakout rooms each sitting 70 to 80 people, and a board room that sits 48. Arthur Rathjen, president of the UW-Oshkosh Foundation, says the new center fills a need on campus and in the community. "Right now, meeting space is at a premium on campus. We have to 36 | Insight • J a n u a r y 2 014 This April, the UW-Oshkosh Alumni Welcome and Conference Center will open along the Fox River next to the Wisconsin Street Bridge. The 40,000-square-foot facility will feature a variety of conference and meeting spaces. do meetings or events at the Reeve Memorial Union and students use that space, too," Rathjen says. "This will also be a nice venue for the community to use for weddings or other activities that want to take advantage of the state-of-the-art space and take in the views of the river. We've already had a lot of interest in using the facility" from outside UW-Oshkosh. The new space will be used for a variety of events and activities and provide a "connection" point between the community and campus, Rathjen says. "The community will now have a better place to interact with students and staff members, which we hope leads to more collaboration," he says. "It's not a teaching facility, rather an engagement center where people can gather for different activities, whether it's a symposium, outside speakers or receptions." The new facility isn't far from the former City Center Hotel, another foundation project. The foundation partnered with WHG Companies to purchase and completely remodel the hotel, filling a need in the city's downtown. Renamed Best Western Premier Waterfront Hotel and Conference Center, the facility opened last spring and also includes a Ground Round restaurant. "The projects fit well together and w w w. i n s i g h t o n b u s i n e s s . c o m