LANSING, Mich. — Sen. Michael Webber on Wednesday helped celebrate the reopening of Oakland University’s South Foundation Hall following $40 million in improvements made possible by state funding that he assisted in securing while serving in the Michigan House of Representatives.
“I was proud to advance this important project with the support of former Gov. Snyder when I served in the House, and I am even more proud to help celebrate its long-anticipated completion,” said Webber, R-Rochester Hills. “Oakland University is an important part of our community, and this project has been a great example of true partnership between the university and the state of Michigan.”
The $40 million South Foundation Hall improvement project was supported by $30 million in state funds and $10 million in university bonds. First built in 1959, the hall is one of the original three buildings to make up Oakland University’s campus. It had been closed since February 2021 while the major renovation and building project was completed.
“This project will allow Oakland to address the pressing need for more space in academic areas including STEM, health professions, education, humanities and the arts, which continue to be in high-demand industries for students,” Webber said in remarks at the building’s grand reopening celebration.
The project included renovations to the facility’s more than 55,000 original square feet and the building of a 25,000-square-foot addition, including 10 new classrooms along with technology upgrades for existing classrooms and other improvements to make the facility’s infrastructure systems more reliable and energy efficient.