PULLMAN, WA – Half a dozen capital projects — ranging from minor restoration and renewal to new buildings that’ll transform campus skylines — were approved by members of the Washington State University Board of Regents earlier this month.
The largest of these projects is the Schweitzer Engineering Hall on the Pullman campus, which saw its total budget increased to $80.4 million. During the design phase, leadership with the Voiland College of Engineering and Architecture opted to add approximately 6,000 gross square feet of space to the building, necessitating regents approval for increasing the project’s total budget.
Voiland’s new state-of-the-art home is being financed through a combination of $40 million in state support and more than $38 million in private donations. Construction is ongoing and is expected to wrap up next spring.
Regents also gave the go-ahead for a $25 million state-funded project that’ll see the demolition of Pullman’s Heald Hall to make way for a new Integrated Sciences Building. The new space will offer flexibility in teaching and learning with significant opportunities for research activity. Demolition of the existing structure and subsequent site prep is expected to take place between April 2026 and June 2027.
Designs for the new Dodgen Hot Cell Facility at Pullman’s Dodgen Nuclear Science Center, as well as installation of a small commercial-scale anerobic digester at the Knott Diary Farm, round out the list of approved projects slated for the flagship campus.
The Wenatchee Tree Fruit Research and Extension Center will also get a major upgrade in the years to come in the form of an $18 million investment in a new Plant Growth Facility. The project, which received $10 million in state funding and is being supplemented with donor funding, will support the state’s tree fruit industry by developing royalty-generating apple cultivars and pear rootstocks, in addition to research on horticulture and pest management. Students will also have new training opportunities, while the new project opens up potential to expand WSU Extension’s engagement with communities and stakeholders.
The Board of Regents also gave the go-ahead for university leadership to embark on a series of capital renewal and improvement projects across the system. These projects will upgrade key facilities systems ranging from elevators, HVAC, electric, sewer and steam water distribution, mechanical systems, network and communications infrastructure, roofs, masonry, windows, and other minor repairs.
Other potential projects
Significant state funding provided in the 2025–27 capital biennium are enabling these projects to move forward. However, the university is also preparing to ask state lawmakers for supplemental capital funding for the upcoming academic year.
WSU’s total supplemental request stands at $30 million. The largest portion of that will help further address long-standing deferred maintenance across its campuses, extension sites, and research centers. The university’s total deferred maintenance backlog is estimated at $1.8 billion.
The university will also seek $7 million in state support to renovate existing space on the Spokane campus. In doing so, WSU aims to add a consolidated simulation training space for Team Health Education, a critical component for training the next generation of healthcare workers. The university’s request for funding to construct a new Team Health Education Building on the campus was not funded in the 2025–27 biennium, leaving the university to explore how it can retrofit existing space.
