The University of Wisconsin-Madison received a $75 million gift for its new $347 million College of Engineering building, the university announced Wednesday.
UW-Madison alumni Marvin and Jeffrey Levy, a pair of brothers who operate the Madison-based alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverage supplier Phillips Distributing Corp., made this gift in honor of their brother, Phil, who died in 2021. The new 395,000 square-foot building will be named the Phillip A. Levy Engineering Center, according to UW-Madison’s Wednesday news release.
The gift, which is the largest in the College of Engineering’s history, is a major step in funding the $347 million project. In December, the Universities of Wisconsin Board of Regents voted in support of a plan to cut UW staff positions for diversity, equity and inclusion in a deal with the Republican-led legislature to receive state funding for the engineering building project. Gov. Tony Evers approved $197 million in state funding for the project on March 6.
With $197 million coming from the state, the project needs a total of $150 million from private donations. Including the $75 million gift from the Levys, the university has now raised “a little more than” $110 million in private donations for the building and needs almost $40 million more to fully fund the project, spokesman Will Cushman said.
Pending approval from the State Building Commission, construction on the project will begin next year and end in 2028, Cushman said.
“Through this gift, we can ensure the College of Engineering will remain on the leading edge and educate an ever-expanding number of talented engineers for generations to come,” Marvin Levy said in the news release. “Our family deeply appreciates the vital role engineering plays in driving innovations that advance our society and contribute to people’s quality and enjoyment of life. Jeff and I view support of this new engineering building as a gift to the state of Wisconsin.”
Marvin Levy graduated from UW-Madison in 1968 with bachelor’s degrees in education and history, and in 1971 with a law degree. Jeffrey Levy graduated from the university in 1972 with bachelor’s degrees in education and history.
Phil Levy was an interior designer and graduated from UW-Madison in 1964 with an English degree, and later went on to found Phillip Levy Fine Furniture and Interior Design in Madison, according to the news release.
In 2021, Marvin and Jeffrey Levy donated $20 million for UW-Madison’s new College of Letters & Science building in honor of their parents.
