Earth Honoring Ceremony Marks Beginning of CTEC Construction
More than 100 people gathered at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay for an Earth Honoring ceremony, bringing together members of First Nations communities and the university to celebrate the start of construction for the Cofrin Technology and Education Center (CTEC). The event honored the Earth and recognized the original inhabitants of the region, the Menominee and Ho-Chunk Nations.
The ceremony began with words of recognition from Menominee elder Napos and Ho-Chunk elder Ritchie Brown, followed by honor songs from the Wisconsin Dells drum group of the Ho-Chunk Nation. The event emphasized the importance of coming together to honor the land and the natural world where the CTEC will be built.
“The building was specifically designed to allow for flexibility to adapt to an ever-changing world,” said UW-Green Bay Chancellor Michael Alexander. “It reflects our desire to encourage discussion, interdisciplinary work, community conversations, and creativity with fewer offices and more collaborative workspaces.”
The CTEC is designed to be a hub of innovation and collaboration, featuring integrated student research and study spaces alongside academic and administrative functions. The building will serve as the new main entrance to the campus and will include an entrepreneur center, cafe, and launching point for campus tours.
Universities of Wisconsin President Jay Rothman emphasized the significance of the project, stating, “When UW-Green Bay set out to undertake this project, it did not begin by asking ‘What does this campus need?’ It began by asking, ‘What do our students and our community need?’ There’s a difference.”
The CTEC will replace the 52-year-old Cofrin Library and change the landscape of the state’s fastest-growing university. Construction is set to begin this month and is expected to be completed in 2027.
As Laura Ross, senior architect from Shepley Bulfinch, noted, “We believe CTEC can be a crossroads of knowledge systems – a place for conversation amongst people, cultures, worldviews.” The building will feature the ‘Three Sisters Cafe,’ inspired by Indigenous agriculture, and a dedicated space for entrepreneurial activities.
The Earth Honoring ceremony set the tone for the new building, emphasizing the connection between the university, the community, and the land it occupies. As Dean Basten ’89, CFO of Miron Construction, stated, “Before any building rises, we must pause and recognize the land and its people.”
