MEQUON, Wis. – Concordia University Wisconsin officials announced today that they have received an anonymous $1 million challenge grant from a longtime Mequon resident to kick-off the public phase of the University’s Renewed by the Waters campaign.

According to President Patrick T. Ferry, “The donor expressed great joy in seeing that the lake will now be able to be accessed by CUW students and the public. The individual’s hope was that their donation would encourage others to contribute to this worthwhile project.”

To date, Phase 1 of the largest fundraising initiative in the history of the University has secured over $5.8 million of the $8 million needed. Phase 2 of the project will call for another $4 million in funds.

“The University is absolutely delighted with the generous gifts and pledges we have received to date during the leadership phase of this campaign. Now we are asking for alumni, friends and supporters of higher education to join in on this worthwhile effort with their gifts, so we can reach our total Phase 1 goal of $8 million by the completion of this project on June 30, 2006.”

To date, nearly 70 percent of Phase 1 of the project which started on June 10, 2005 after nearly five years of planning and research is complete.

According to Ferry, the entire bluff region of campus has been greatly transformed, and by the end of Phase 1 in June 2006, over 400,000 cubic yards of material will have been removed from the bluff and deposited on the south fill lot.

While the most dramatic transformation has taken place on the face of the bluff, Ferry also points out that many changes have been made to the waterline as well. Giant barges topped with huge cranes have been moving stones into place to build the revetments that will protect the beach, and also form an artificial reef for marine species.

When finished, the project will have a wider, clean sand beach which will contain coarser sand that will be less likely to wash away; an ADA approved access to the beach; a bike/walking path to the beach; a gathering area at the top of the new bluff; a mix of prairie grass and wild flowers on the bluff slope; perched wetlands fed by ground water; coastal wetlands fed by lake water; and improved water quality due to greatly reduced erosion.

“A limited public access plan for the walking paths and beach will be instituted shortly after the expected July 2006 completion date,” according to Ferry.

Daily passes will need to be shown at a guard house before accessing any of the walkways to the beach. Swimming, canoeing and kayaking will be permitted, but engine-powered watercraft will not be allowed.

Phase 2, which is still in need of $4 million in funding, will include the building of a new Environmental Education Center which will feature state-of-the-art laboratories, lecture halls and classrooms to serve CUW and area students. It will also include a new university entrance and relocating and updating the athletic fields.

The University is also hoping to add a major in Environmental Studies for students interested in public science. In the last year Concordia has also added an Environmental Science concentration for secondary education majors, and an Environmental Science minor for Elementary Education majors.

People or organizations interested in donating funds for this Lake Bluff Stabilization project can make a check out to Concordia University Wisconsin Foundation, Inc. with Lakeshore Project in the memo and mail it to the CUW Advancement Department, 12800 N. Lake Shore, Mequon, WI 53097.

For further information on the bluff project, please contact President Patrick T. Ferry at 262-243-4368.