Carroll University is charging ahead with a new Sullivan School of Business, Engineering and Technology, a $32 million facility set to pull its business, engineering and technology programs into one home base on the Waukesha campus. The building is the marquee project in a broader $52.5 million campus improvement plan rolled out last year as enrollment continues to climb.
According to Carroll University, the Sullivan School is pitched as a cross-disciplinary hub where business, computer science, aviation science and drone technology, artificial intelligence, new engineering majors and related programs will share space. The wider slate of facilities work is scheduled to run from August 2025 through July 2030. In the university's announcement, President Cindy Gnadinger framed the investment as an effort to shape the future of the region, not just the campus.
Timeline and site
Carroll plans to break ground on the Sullivan School during the 2026–27 school year, with an expected construction timeline of about 18 months. The building is slated for a site just north of Van Male Field House on Barstow Street, across from the campus tennis courts, a location that effectively plants the new school in the middle of campus activity, as reported by BizTimes. The university says it will use a design-build delivery process, which is intended to keep the project moving quickly while limiting disruption for students and staff.
Design and partners
To pull it off, Carroll has tapped a design-build team that includes Milwaukee-based Kahler Slater and VJS Construction. Kahler Slater notes in its announcement that the project carries a $32 million construction budget and shared an early rendering of the building.
The design calls for labs, maker spaces and collaborative classrooms tailored for instruction in artificial intelligence, drone technology and engineering fields that sit close to manufacturing. In plain English, the building is being set up as a hands-on playground for students who want to mix theory with real-world tinkering.
Why it matters for the local economy
University leaders say the Sullivan School is being built with one eye firmly on the local job market. The goal is to graduate students who combine business know-how with the kind of technical skills that manufacturers and tech employers in the region are looking for. The project was highlighted this week in the Milwaukee Business Journal, which noted Carroll's push to align its expanding programs with regional workforce demand.
To pay for the upgrades, Carroll plans a mix of strategies that includes selling or repurposing underused facilities and leaning on philanthropic support, building on earlier major gifts. BizTimes reported that the Sullivans previously committed $10 million that helped establish the school's name and programming. University officials say the new building is expected to deepen industry partnerships and expand internship pipelines for students, turning the Sullivan School into a direct feeder for local employers.
