MADISON, Wis. — Like many of America’s major universities, the campuses of Wisconsin and USC are chock-full of cranes, closed sidewalks and detours. It is the status symbol of the multibillion-dollar entities they truly are, schools ready to rebuild, renovate and restore building after building as a testament to their permanence as institutions—even as the world around them becomes dominated more and more by what happens digitally.
It takes a lot of money to keep those cranes in operation when the weather cooperates and the cost of doing business is something that only continues to grow, far outpacing inflation nowadays. For those in charge at both schools, it is often viewed as a worthwhile investment, the kind that will pay off in the form of even more dollars flowing into their coffers and even greater prestige.
