University of Wisconsin System

The University of Wisconsin was created by the state constitution in 1848, and held its first classes in Madison in 1849.

In 1956, pressed by the growing demand for a large public university that offered graduate programs in Wisconsin's largest city, Wisconsin lawmakers merged Wisconsin State College of Milwaukee (WSCM) and the University of Wisconsin–Extension's Milwaukee division as the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee. The new campus comprised the WSCM campus near the lakefront and the UW extension in downtown Milwaukee.

Starting in the 1940s, freshman-sophomore centers were opened across the state. In 1968, the Green Bay center was upgraded to a full-fledged four-year institution as the University of Wisconsin–Green Bay, while the Kenosha and Racine centers were merged as the University of Wisconsin–Parkside. By 1971, the University of Wisconsin system had campuses at Madison, Milwaukee, Green Bay and Kenosha/Somers, together with 10 freshman-sophomore centers and the statewide University of Wisconsin–Extension.[9] The total enrollment of the University of Wisconsin system at that time was 69,554. The Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin system comprise ten members, nine of whom were appointed by the governor and confirmed by the senate for nine-year terms. The tenth was the State Superintendent of Public Instruction, who served ex officio on both the University of Wisconsin and Wisconsin State University boards.

In 1866, the state legislature established a normal school at Platteville—the first of eight teacher-training schools across the state. In 1911, the legislature permitted the normal schools to offer two years of post-high school work in art, liberal arts and sciences, pre-law, and pre-medicine. The broadened curriculum proved popular and soon accounted for over one-third of the normal schools' enrollment. In 1920, the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching issued a report on "The Professional Education of Teachers of American Public Schools", which attacked such programs, arguing that normal schools should not deviate from their purpose as trainers of teachers. When the Milwaukee Normal School (MNSS) persisted with its popular enhanced curriculum, the regents of the Normal School system, the legislature, and the governor all became involved. MNS President Carroll G. Pearse was forced to resign in 1923, and the regents ordered the discontinuation of non-teacher-education programs. The issue was not settled, though; public pressure for expanded offerings at normal schools continued to grow, and education professionals asserted that traditional two-year curricula in teacher training were inadequate.

In 1926, the regents repurposed the Normal Schools as "State Teachers Colleges", offering a four-year course of study leading to a Bachelor of Education degree that incorporated significant general education at all levels. The thousands of returning World War II veterans in Wisconsin needed more college choices for their studies under the G.I. Bill, and popular demand pushed the State Teachers College system Regents to once again allow the teacher training institutions to offer bachelor's degrees in liberal arts and fine arts. In 1951 the state teachers colleges were redesignated as "Wisconsin State Colleges," offering a full four-year liberal-arts curriculum. In 1955, the Stout Institute in Menomonie, which had been founded as a private engineering school in 1891 and was sold to the state in 1911, was merged into the Wisconsin State Colleges system; it had previously been governed by a separate state board of regents.

The state colleges were all granted university status as "Wisconsin State Universities" in 1964 (with the exception of Wisconsin State College-Milwaukee, which had become part of the University of Wisconsin in 1956).

As of 1971, the Wisconsin State Universities comprised nine public universities (Platteville, Whitewater, Oshkosh, River Falls, Stout (in Menomonie), Superior, Stevens Point, La Crosse, and Eau Claire) and four freshman-sophomore branch campuses, with a total enrollment of 64,148. The board was made up of 14 members, 13 of whom were appointed by the governor and confirmed by the senate for five-year terms. The 14th was the State Superintendent of Public Instruction.

The University of Wisconsin system merged with the Wisconsin State University system in 1971 to create today's University of Wisconsin System. The 1971 merger law approved by the State Senate combined the two higher education systems in Wisconsin under a single Board of Regents, creating a system with 13 universities, 14 freshman-sophomore centers (as University of Wisconsin Colleges), and a statewide extension with offices in all 72 counties. Each university is named "University of Wisconsin–" followed by the location or name. Each two-year college was named "University of Wisconsin–" followed by the city and/or county in which it is located. The move, intended to enhance the University of Wisconsin's prestige and influence, was resisted by some parties concerned with a possible brand dilution.[9]

The Board of the University of Wisconsin System includes 18 members, 16 of whom are appointed by the Governor and approved by the Senate. Of these 16 members, 14 serve staggered, seven-year terms. The remaining two are two-year positions filled by current UW System students. The two ex officio members are the State Superintendent of Public Instruction and the president or a designee of the Wisconsin Technical College System Board.[9]

In October 2017, UW System president Ray Cross publicly proposed restructuring the University of Wisconsin System to bring the UW Colleges under the control of their nearest comprehensive university, creating regional two-year campuses within the system.[10] The proposal also included splitting UW-Extension between UW-Madison and UW System administration. UW Colleges Online, which was operating as an additional campus of UW Colleges, would be relocated under UW System administration. President Cross announced this proposal without consulting shared governance groups or administrators. The University of Wisconsin System administration argued that the merger would save money.[11] Critics said the merger was being rushed without input from the campuses and that the system was buckling to political pressure from the state.[11] The proposal was approved by the UW Board of Regents in their November 2017 meeting, and implementation began July 1, 2018.[11][10][12]

• Superior

• Stout

• Eau Claire

• Green Bay

• La Crosse

• Oshkosh

• Parkside

• Platteville

• River
   Falls

• Stevens Point

• Whitewater

• Madison

• Milwaukee

There are two major research universities in the University of Wisconsin System that grant doctoral degrees: the University of Wisconsin–Madison and the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee. Additionally, the University of Wisconsin–La Crosse began offering doctoral degree programs in 2007 and others followed, while remaining primarily undergraduate to master's level institutions.

Campus	Founded	Enrollment (Fall 2022)[5]	Endowment (2021–22) (millions)[13]	Athletic affiliation	Athletic nickname (Conference)	U.S. News Rank (Midwest 2024)[14]	Carnegie Classification[15]
Madison	1848	49,587	$4,000.0	NCAA D-I (FBS)	Badgers (Big Ten)	35 (national)	R1: Doctoral Universities Very high research activity
Milwaukee	1956	21,744	$262.0	NCAA D-I (non-football)	Panthers (Horizon)	332 (national)	R1: Doctoral Universities Very high research activity
Oshkosh	1871	12,851	$22.0	NCAA D-III	Eagles (WIAC)	332 (national)	Doctoral Universities Doctoral/Professional Universities
Whitewater	1868	10,494		NCAA D-III	Warhawks (WIAC)	43	Master's Universities Larger Programs
La Crosse	1909	10,257	$45.9	NCAA D-III	Eagles (WIAC)	249 (national)	Master's Universities Larger Programs
Eau Claire	1916	10,064	$80.5	NCAA D-III	Blugolds (WIAC)	21	Master's Universities Medium Programs
Green Bay	1965	8,553		NCAA D-I (non-football)	Phoenix (Horizon)	60	Master's Universities Medium Programs
Stevens Point	1894	7,263		NCAA D-III	Pointers (WIAC)	47	Master's Universities Medium Programs
Stout	1891	7,226	$64.5	NCAA D-III	Blue Devils (WIAC)	67	Master's Universities Larger Programs
Platteville	1866	6,246		NCAA D-III	Pioneers (WIAC)	67	Master's Universities Larger Programs
River Falls	1874	5,212		NCAA D-III	Falcons (WIAC)	60	Master's Universities Medium Programs
Parkside (Kenosha)	1968	3,966	$5.6	NCAA D-II	Rangers (GLIAC)	103	Master's Universities Medium Programs
Superior	1893	2,703		NCAA D-III	Yellowjackets (UMAC)	124	Master's Universities Medium Programs

  Closing in 2024

Campus	Parent campus	Founded	Enrollment (Fall 2022)[5]	Athletic nickname (Conference)
Barron County (Rice Lake)	Eau Claire	1966	455	Blugolds
Fond du Lac	Oshkosh	1968	258	Falcons (WCC)
Fox Cities (Menasha)	Oshkosh		605	Cyclones (WCC)
Manitowoc	Green Bay	1933	373	Blue Devils
Marinette	Green Bay	1935	242	Buccaneers
Sheboygan	Green Bay	1933	440	Wombats
Washington County (West Bend)	Milwaukee	1968	332	Wildcats
Waukesha	Milwaukee	1966	790	Panthers
Baraboo Sauk County	Platteville	1968	179	Fighting Spirits (WCC)
Wausau	Stevens Point	1933	404	Huskies (WCC)
Marshfield	Stevens Point	1963	344	Marauders (WCC)
Rock County (Janesville)	Whitewater	1966	593	Rattlers