The renovation of the University of Minnesota’s Folwell Hall, Minnesota’s largest center for world language education, is part of the University’s capital request for the 2008 state legislative session.

We need your help to ensure that the legislature understands the need for this important multilingual hub! Please send the House and Senate Higher Education Committees and your district’s senator and representative a note asking them to support full funding of the University of Minnesota's 2008 capital request including the renovation of Folwell Hall.  Personal letters and e-mails are one of the most effective ways to influence elected officials.

Folwell Hall, a historic landmark, plays a critically important role in the future of global and language education at the University of Minnesota and in the state. It is home to the departments of Asian Languages and Learning; German, Scandinavian and Dutch; Spanish and Portuguese; and French and Italian. Additionally, the renovated building will house the new Department of Writing Studies which will provide writing instruction to all University freshmen. Folwell currently houses nearly 300 faculty and staff, 824 undergraduate majors and more than 218 graduate minors. Each year, over 10,000 students take classes in Folwell Hall. As a result of its heavy use, it is critical that Folwell Hall serves the needs of students and faculty alike.

Folwell Hall is an old building that is an impediment to teaching and learning. The way we teach and the way students learn has changed dramatically over the last century. Current classrooms in the building are obsolete and are not able to accommodate future or digital technology. Noise and poor ventilation and temperature control make for poor learning and teaching environments in the building’s many classrooms. Updated building systems, technological upgrades and new modular classroom spaces will bring this building into the 21^st century and improve the education of our students.

We have provided sample e-mail text below to help you tailor your own letter. Remember to use your own stories and anecdotes about why the University is important to you.

Learn more about the University’s 2008 Capital Request

Sample Letter for Campaign

Dear [ Decision Maker ] ,

As you make decisions about the 2008 state bonding bill, I ask you to support full funding for the University of Minnesota's 2008 capital request, including the renovation of Folwell Hall.

The state's largest foreign language education center, Folwell is critical to educating Minnesotans to compete in the global marketplace. Folwell Hall will continue to house global language departments, and when renovation has been completed it is anticipated that the building also will be home to the important University writing initiative. As part of that initiative, all freshmen on the Twin Cities campus will be required to take first-year writing. Folwell Hall will become a state-of-the-art multilingual hub preparing students with the skills to compete in the global economy.

Folwell's classrooms are obsolete and the building does not accommodate current or future technology. Noise and poor climate control and ventilation create a poor classroom environment. As a result, Folwell cannot support modern second language acquisition or writing studies without this renovation.

Please ensure the future of global language and writing studies at the U by funding a renovation of Folwell Hall in your bonding recommendations.

Sincerely,

Campaign Launched:
November 05, 2007