Wisconsin, University of, is a state-supported educational system. Its official name is the University of Wisconsin System. The system’s main campus, the University of Wisconsin-Madison, is a land-grant university. Land-grant schools are endowed and funded, at least in part, with money raised by the sale of lands granted by the United States Congress under the Morrill Act of 1862. The university’s website at https://www.wisconsin.edu/ offers information about the university.
History.
The University of Wisconsin was founded in Madison in 1848, but classes did not begin there until 1849. Building on the Madison campus, which is near the State Capitol, began in the 1850’s. The university became coeducational in 1863.
In the 1890’s, the University of Wisconsin began an extension program, offering lectures and some courses in various parts of the state. Soon, the extension program also offered correspondence courses. The extension program marked the beginning of a university system that aimed to provide instruction throughout the state. In 1904, university President Charles Van Hise stated what came to be known as the “Wisconsin Idea.” He proposed making the “influence of the University available to every home in the State.” The university continues to be guided by this principle.
By the 1960’s, the University of Wisconsin had several campuses around the state, including a number of two-year campuses able to grant associate’s degrees. In 1971, the Wisconsin State Universities and the University of Wisconsin merged to form the University of Wisconsin System. Today, the system consists of 13 universities, 13 two-year campuses, and an extension system. The administrative offices are in Madison. Each university in the system is called the University of Wisconsin (UW) and has its location or campus name in its title.
UW-Madison
is the university’s main campus. It grants bachelor’s, master’s, and doctor’s degrees. Many research centers are on the campus.
UW-Milwaukee
is the other campus in the system that grants degrees up to the level of the doctor’s degree. The campus was founded in 1855 as the Milwaukee State Normal School. Normal was a designation for schools that trained teachers. In the early 1950’s, the school became the Wisconsin State College of Milwaukee. It was incorporated into the University of Wisconsin in 1956.
Other campuses in the system.
The other four-year campuses in the system grant bachelor’s and master’s degrees in such programs as liberal arts, science, business, and education. These campuses are Eau Claire, Green Bay, La Crosse, Oshkosh, Parkside, Platteville, River Falls, Stevens Point, Stout, Superior, and Whitewater.
