Milwaukee School of Engineering is building a new AI learning center

The Milwaukee School of Engineering is building a $76.5 million artificial intelligence learning center, which will house its new center for applied artificial intelligence. 

Leaders from the private university announced the investment Monday as part of a $125 million fundraising campaign to expand artificial intelligence programing on campus.

The investment comes as AI continues to expand into new areas of work and education. Meanwhile, a 2024 Reuters report found there’s a skills gap related to AI.

“MSOE stands ready to become the national leader in applied AI education,” John Walz, the university’s president, said during an announcement ceremony Monday.

The main focus of the fundraising campaign is the $76.5 million Robert D. Kern Engineering Innovation Center. The 97,000-square-foot building will house labs, classrooms and workshops focused on robotics and AI. 

Olga Imas, the director of applied AI education at MSOE, said students are already learning about AI. Imas said the building will allow the university to expand those efforts for years to come. 

“The intent of this campaign, and generally the strategy of MSOE moving forward, is the integration of AI across all academic programs across various academic disciplines,” Imas said. “So, it’s everything that we do. Applied AI is the center of it.” 

The building will also be home to the university’s new Center for Applied Artificial Intelligence Education. Walz said that center will, “enable faculty, staff and students to collaborate, to innovate and to integrate AI across all of our academic programs, ensuring that MSOE graduates remain at the forefront of technological innovation.”

The university also announced the establishment of the Dwight and Dian Diercks School of Advanced Computing. That school will allow the university to, “weave AI and machine learning into degree programs across the university,” according to a statement. 

Walz said he believes the school will be the “academic home” for those who want an applied AI education. 

“This new school will be far more than an academic department — it will serve as the central hub for advanced computing and AI integration across MSOE,” Walz said. 

The university in downtown Milwaukee offers bachelor’s and master’s degrees in engineering, business and nursing. About 2,900 students are enrolled at the university, which was founded in 1903. 

“AI is transforming every industry, from engineering to business to health care, and so on,” Imas said. “It’s what we do daily. So, it’s very important that the students and the graduates coming from MSOE have the skills needed to support that and to make them successful.” 

Dwight Diercks, an MSOE regent, and his wife, Dian, have pledged $20 million for the building. Dwight Diercks said AI is already being used in several fields, including biomolecular engineering and civil engineering.

“So, each of these disciplines all have an area of intersection of AI, and by putting that into the curriculum of each of these different disciplines, we’ll know that our students come out ready to work in the degree that they graduate in but also being able to apply AI to it,” Dwight Diercks said. 

Groundbreaking for the building is set to be held later in 2025. It will be constructed on what is currently a parking lot on the university’s campus.

Walz is hopeful the building will be open for students ahead of the fall 2027 semester. He said over $80 million has been raised for the campaign so far.

Two other Wisconsin colleges offering AI majors in the fall

The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire and Carroll University in Waukesha will both offer new majors in artificial intelligence in fall 2025. 

The Universities of Wisconsin Board of Regents approved the bachelor of arts and bachelor of science majors in AI at UW-Eau Claire on Feb. 7. 

Establishing an AI major has been on Alex Smith’s bucket list for years. Smith, the department chair of computer science and professor of math at UW-Eau Claire, is retiring in May. But he said the new major will offer students with the  essential skills and knowledge to collaborate effectively in a changing workplace.

He envisions students with various interests including communications, business and physical science being interested in an AI major. 

“Artificial intelligence is inherently a multidisciplinary field, requiring expertise across various domains,” Smith said.

Carroll University says their courses will cover essential AI technologies such as machine learning algorithms, natural language understanding, speech synthesis, image recognition, logical reasoning, data analysis and robotics. 

The curriculum is designed to ensure students gain proficiency in the most sought-after AI skills and bridge the employment gap, said Carroll associate professor of Computer Science Margaret Polk.