The atrium of the Gehl-Mulva Science Center will provide a direct view of Old St. Joe's, a physical acknowledgement of the ongoing dialogue between faith and reason.

Building the Future of Discovery

Tuesday, Apr 02, 2013

Advent of Science Center Heralds Medical Program, Too

A new $39 million facility and a medical college program on campus are set to bring unparalleled opportunities in science at St. Norbert. News, mid-February, of naming gifts that will help fund the college’s planned science facility have made it possible to begin construction this spring. Preparations to make the new center a reality were a significant factor in the recent Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW) choice of St. Norbert as the site of its new Green Bay-area program.

The Gehl-Mulva Science Center will replace John R. Minahan Science Hall, which is almost 50 years old. With a completion date of spring 2015, the center’s new amenities will allow St. Norbert faculty and undergraduates to work on the leading edge of science and mathematics. 

“We want to thank Paul and Carol Gehl and Jim and Miriam Mulva for their incredible generosity,” says Tom Kunkel, president of St. Norbert College. “The Gehl-Mulva Science Center will truly transform St. Norbert College, and it’s because of their support that it’s happening now.”

The Gehl-Mulva Science Center will be home to the Medical College of Wisconsin’s new Green Bay-area campus. MCW plans a community medical education program with classrooms, offices and some learning laboratories in the new building, expecting that its first students will begin their studies in July 2015. 

MCW’s expansion into Green Bay, and into a second new program location in Wausau, Wis., is in response to projections of a significant physician shortage in the state over the next 20 years. The new St. Norbert-based program will be embedded throughout the Green Bay community. MCW is seeking to utilize the clinical simulation center at Bellin College in Green Bay. Future plans include the development of inter-professional training programs for MCW’s medical students and Bellin College’s student health professionals.

MCW plans to work with its academic partners in the Green Bay region – St. Norbert, the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay and Bellin College – and area medical facilities to identify science faculty members for the medical education program. The medical college will work with faculty at St. Norbert and other local academic institutions to create medical-school pipeline programs for qualified undergraduate students interested in pursuing a career in medicine.


March 27, 2013