105 Garfield Ave.
Eau Claire, Wisconsin 54702-4004
UW-Eau Claire website: http://www.uwec.edu/

Situated at the confluence of the Eau Claire and Chippewa rivers, the city of Eau Claire originated as a lumber town in the 1840s. Today, with a population of more than 69,000, Eau Claire is a commercial, medical, technological and educational center for the west-central region of Wisconsin. Eau Claire is located 90 miles east of Minneapolis/St. Paul and 247 miles northwest of Milwaukee. The city and the surrounding countryside abound in rivers, lakes and wooded areas of great natural beauty, where seasonal sports, camping and other recreational activities may be enjoyed throughout the year.

University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire

The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire was founded in 1916 as the Eau Claire State Normal School, occupying a single building on land donated to the state by the city of Eau Claire. The academic history of the institution is reflected in its subsequent changes of name and mission. As the Eau Claire State Teachers College (1927-51), it awarded baccalaureate degrees in education; as the Wisconsin State College at Eau Claire (1951-64), it added degree programs in liberal arts. The state colleges were granted university status in 1964, and the Wisconsin State University-Eau Claire was organized into the schools of Arts and Sciences, Education and Graduate Studies. The School of Nursing was created in 1965 and the School of Business in 1966. The institution became the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire in 1971 with the merger of the two state-supported university systems to form the University of Wisconsin System, which includes 13 universities, 13 freshman-sophomore colleges and UW-Extension. In 2004, an administrative restructuring created four colleges at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire: the College of Arts and Sciences, the College of Business, the College of Education and Human Sciences, and the College of Nursing and Health Sciences. Graduate programs are administered by each of the colleges.

The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire today serves more than 10,000 students, offering a variety of undergraduate and graduate programs, and serving regionally as a center for continuing education. The main campus includes 30 major buildings located on a 333-acre, two-level campus, which embraces Putnam Park on the south bank of the Chippewa River and is connected by a footbridge to the Haas Fine Arts Center and the Human Sciences and Services building on the north bank. The university campus also includes The Priory, a facility three miles south of the main campus, and Haymarket Landing, a student apartment complex in downtown Eau Claire. 

UW-Eau Claire – Barron County

Effective July 1, 2018, the 13 two-year campuses formerly known as University of Wisconsin Colleges were integrated as branch campuses with seven of the University of Wisconsin System’s four-year comprehensive or research institutions. As part of this restructuring, the former UW-Barron County became a branch campus of UW-Eau Claire and is now known as UW-Eau Claire – Barron County.

Select Mission of the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire

In addition to the University of Wisconsin System mission and the core mission of the university cluster institutions, the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire has the following select mission:

We foster in one another creativity, critical insight, empathy and intellectual courage, the hallmarks of a transformative liberal education and the foundation for active citizenship and lifelong inquiry.

We fulfill our mission through a pervasive university commitment to provide:

• Rigorous, intentional and experiential undergraduate liberal education for life and livelihood.
• Strong, distinctive professional and graduate programs that build on and strengthen our proud tradition of liberal education.
• Multicultural and international learning experiences for a diverse world.
• Exemplary student-faculty research and scholarship that enhance teaching and learning.
• An inclusive campus community that challenges students to develop their intellectual, personal, cultural and social competencies.
• Educational opportunities responsive to the needs of our communities, state, region and beyond.
• Academic leadership in transforming liberal education.

Organization of the university

The chancellor is the university’s chief administrative officer, responsible for all phases of university activity and accountable to the Board of Regents and UW System president. In the discharge of these obligations, the chancellor is assisted by other administrators and advised by the faculty, staff and students of the university.

Subject to the powers of the Board of Regents, the UW System president and the chancellor:

• University faculty has primary responsibility for academic and educational activities and faculty personnel matters.
• University academic staff has primary responsibility for academic staff personnel matters.
• University students have primary responsibility for policies concerning student life, services and extracurricular activities. They share responsibility with the chancellor and Board of Regents for the disposition of student fees constituting substantial support for student activities.

Administrative Organization and Personnel

Organizational Charts

• University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire
• University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire Barron County Campus

UW-Eau Claire Campus

Campus Information Services: 715-836-2637
Toll-free: 888-463-6893

Parking and Transportation Services: Parking and Transportation Services strives to find an equitable way to manage the parking spaces available to all members of the university community. Therefore, parking policies and regulations at UW-Eau Claire are aimed at easing the parking crunch on campus and in the neighborhoods adjacent to the campus. These policies and regulations are part of an overall parking plan, which incorporates a multifaceted approach to managing the parking spaces available on campus. It includes a differentiated pricing system for parking permits, penalties for violations and a free citywide transit service. Detailed and current parking information can be obtained from Parking and Transportation Services located within Blugold Central, 715-836-3000, or parking@uwec.edu.

Visitor Parking: If you are planning to visit the UW-Eau Claire campus, you can obtain a free visitor parking permit by contacting the Flesch Family Welcome Center.  

Visiting the Campus: If you are a prospective student and/or family member wishing to schedule a campus visit, tours may be arranged through the Office of Admissions at 715-836-5415. Visitors may obtain a brochure describing the campus and its facilities from the Service Center, in the east lobby of Davies Center, or from the Flesch Family Welcome Center.

Administrative Offices

College Offices

Department Offices

The office addresses of department chairs are listed in the departmental sections of the catalog.

Auditoriums, Theatres, etc.

Academic Buildings

Schofield Hall (1916), Garfield Avenue. Named for Harvey Schofield, first president of the Eau Claire State Normal School.

Brewer Hall (1952), Garfield Avenue. Named for Charles J. Brewer, director of teacher education, 1916-1938.

L.E. Phillips Science Hall (1964; addition, 1969; a major renovation, 2002), lower campus, spanning Little Niagara Creek. Named for the Eau Claire industrialist whose major gift made possible the acquisition of special equipment.

Schneider Hall (1967), Park and Roosevelt avenues. Named for John S. Schneider, professor of sociology and history, 1930-1961.

Nursing (1969; addition, 1985), lower campus at edge of Putnam Park.

McIntyre Library (1960; addition, 1972; addition, 1993), Garfield Avenue. Named for William D. McIntyre, an Eau Claire businessman who served on the Board of Regents of State Colleges, 1945-1966.

McPhee Physical Education Center (1969) and Ade Olson Addition (1987), upper campus. Named for Eugene R. McPhee, an alumnus, former faculty member and executive director of the Wisconsin State University System, 1945-1972. Addition named for an alumnus, coach, and chair of the department of physical education, 1947-1975.

Haas Fine Arts Center (1970), Water Street, with footbridge spanning the Chippewa River to the main lower campus. Named for former chancellor Leonard Haas (1959-1980) and his wife, Dorellen.

Hibbard Hall (1974), Garfield and Park avenues. Named for Richard E. Hibbard, political science faculty member and vice president for academic affairs (1964-1971), who served as interim president and interim chancellor, 1971-1972.

Human Sciences and Services (1982), Water Street, north campus overlooking the Chippewa River.

Centennial Hall (2014), Park Avenue. Named to honor UW-Eau Claire’s Centennial in 2016.

Residence Halls

Aspenson Mogensen Hall (2017), just across from lower campus on Water Street, 200-plus students. Named for Eau Claire business owners John Mogensen, his daughter Michelle Mogensen, and Lisa Aspenson in recognition of their gifts of more than $1 million to the UW-Eau Claire Foundation.

Benjamin W. Bridgman Hall (1965), upper campus. 116 men and 126 women. Named for a member of the first faculty (Physics, 1916-1941).

Chancellors Hall (2000), upper campus. 81 apartments for 324 students. Named in honor of past, present, and future chancellors.

Governors Hall (1962), upper campus. 134 men and 208 women.

Haymarket Landing (2016), downtown Eau Claire. 417 students. Located next door to Pablo Center at the Confluence, a new campus-community arts center opened in fall 2018.

Emmet Horan Hall (1961), upper campus. 206 men. Named for the businessman who was the first Eau Claire appointee to the Board of Regents of State Normal Schools.

Karlgaard Towers Hall (1967; renovated 2017-18 and 2018-19), upper campus. 435 men and 897 women. Named for alumnus David Karlgaard, a 1967 mathematics graduate, and his wife, Marilyn, in recognition of their gifts of more than $6 million to the UW-Eau Claire Foundation.

Arthur L. Murray Hall (1966), upper campus. 146 men and 164 women. Named for a faculty member (English, 1918-1943).

The Suites (2019), upper campus. Suite-style residence hall housing 432 students.

Oak Ridge Hall (1969), upper campus. 64 men and 282 women.

Priory Hall (renovated 2014), three miles south of UW-Eau Claire's main campus at The Priory. 48 single rooms for men or women. Located on 112 mostly wooded acres owned by a subsidiary of the UW-Eau Claire Foundation.

Laura E. Sutherland Hall (1965), upper campus. 144 men and 260 women. Named for a faculty member (History, 1921-1959; dean of women, 1939-1947).

University Centers

Flesch Family Welcome Center (2021), lower campus. Named in honor of Tom and Jeannie Flesch, UW-Eau Claire alumni who made a lead gift to the Foundation in support of this privately funded building. Houses the university's Admissions, Foundation and Alumni Association offices. Serves as the main entry point for the more than 17,000 prospective students, parents and guests who typically visit campus during the year.

W.R. Davies Student Center (2012), lower campus. Named for the second president (1941-1959) of the Eau Claire State Teachers College. Davies Center is the hub of social and cultural interaction on the lower campus. Offering a number of meeting and program spaces, dining facilities and service areas, Davies Center is the administrative core of the University Centers. It is also home to the Student Senate, the primary vehicle for student involvement in university governance; the University Bookstore; Blugold Dining/Catering Services; Marketplace, The Cabin and Dulany Inn dining facilities; U.S. Bank; Blugold Card Services; the Gender & Sexuality Resource Center; Woodland Theater; Event Services; and Activities, Involvement and Leadership.

Crest Wellness Center (1965), upper campus. Home of Student Health Service, Crest Fitness Center, University Police and Eagle's View Challenge Ropes Course.

Hilltop Recreation Center (1968), upper campus. Offering a number of recreation spaces; dining facilities including the main cafeteria and the Riverview Café; and program spaces and service areas. Hilltop Center is the home base for Recreation and Sport Operations. It is equipped with a billiards center, lounge space, bouldering wall, group fitness studios and the Environmental Adventure Center, which offers indoor archery as well as outdoor adventure equipment rental.

Schofield Auditorium (1916; renovated in 2009), Schofield Hall, lower campus. Renovated in 2009 through a collaborative effort of Student Senate, University Centers, the Chancellors Office and UW-Eau Claire Foundation. Managed by University Centers, Schofield Auditorium is the largest fixed-seat venue on campus. With its state-of-the-art lighting, sound, video and seating, the venue hosts hundreds of large events every year.

Zorn Arena (1951), lower campus on Garfield Avenue. Named in honor of Willis L. Zorn, former dean of men, director of athletics and head basketball coach. Bill Zorn began his distinguished 40-year career at Eau Claire in 1928. Elected to the NAIA Hall of Fame in 1958, Zorn promoted “athletics for all” through the Men’s Athletic Association. The former physical education teaching facility was completed in 1951 and first used in 1952. Originally known as the Fieldhouse, the building was renamed the University Arena in January 1969 and later renamed for Zorn after his death in 1987. Managed by University Centers, Zorn Arena is the largest multipurpose facility on campus. It is the home for men’s and women’s basketball games and also the site of commencement ceremonies in December and May. Many of the university’s Artists Series performers and Forum speakers make their presentations in Zorn Arena, which can seat up to 3,400 people.

Sites and Collections Supporting Instruction and Research

On Campus:

The John L. Buchholz Jazz Library is a rare and extensive collection of jazz charts and recordings donated in 2012 to the UW-Eau Claire Foundation in honor of John L. Buchholz, professor emeritus of English. The longtime jazz musician was among the founding members of the UW-Eau Claire Jazz Ensemble in 1962 and performed throughout the region. This one-of-a-kind collection of more than 1,000 charts and 900 recordings includes works by Count Basie, Sammy Nestico, Bill Holman, Tommy Dorsey, Benny Goodman and many more legends of jazz. It  is located in Archives and Special Collections in McIntyre Library.

In 2014, the UW-Eau Claire Foundation acquired the Frederick G. and Joan Christopherson Schmidt Robert Frost Collection, a rare assemblage of works by the 20th-century American poet. The collection, which is housed in Special Collections and Archives in McIntyre Library, contains approximately 44 books authored by Frost, including several that have been signed and inscribed by the poet; dozens of books about Frost; and manuscript materials containing Frost's handwritten poetry, Christmas cards and pamphlets.

The James Newman Clark Bird Museum, circular in shape, surrounds the planetarium in Phillips Science Hall. The collection of approximately 530 specimens and four dioramas depicting native birds in their natural habitats is used by students in biology. The museum is open to the public from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, and at other times by appointment. For more information, contact the biology department at 715-836-4166 or biology@uwec.edu.

The L.E. Phillips Planetarium, located in the James Newman Clark Museum in Phillips Science Hall, contains a Spitz model A-3-P planetarium with a seating capacity of 50. The facility is used by classes in the physics and astronomy department. A limited number of public events also are held at the planetarium.

The Priory, formerly known as St. Bede’s Monastery, was purchased in 2011 by Blugold Real Estate LLC, a subsidiary of the UW-Eau Claire Foundation, as an ideal facility for expanding UW-Eau Claire academic programming. Located three miles south of UW-Eau Claire's main campus, the property includes 112 mostly wooded acres in the Town of Washington and three building complexes totaling approximately 80,000 square feet.

The Children’s Nature Academy is located at The Priory, with UW-Eau Claire students who are parents as the primary users of its child care services, including the infant and toddler care program. In addition to students who use the academy’s child care services, hundreds of students either work, volunteer or engage in observation activities at the academy annually.

The Priory also is the site of Priory Hall, offering renovated and modernized housing for 48 students in single-occupancy rooms. 

Putnam Park, a 230-acre nature preserve in the midst of the campus and the only urban state natural area in Wisconsin, provides an area for the study of flora and fauna within easy walking distance of classrooms, as well as a place for relaxation and hiking. The park is traversed by Putnam Drive and by a nature trail, for which printed guides are available at the Service Center in Davies Center. For more information, contact the biology department at 715-836-4166 or biology@uwec.edu.

The S.W. Casey Observatory, located atop Phillips Science Hall, contains a computer-controlled, seven-inch Maksutov-Cassegrain telescope with a charge-coupled-device (CCD) camera. The observatory is adjacent to an observing deck with 11 stations for student use in astronomy laboratory classes. These stations use eight-inch telescopes.

Off Campus — Wisconsin:

The Hobbs Observatory, located 15 miles east of the campus at the Beaver Creek Reserve, contains a 24-inch computer-controlled telescope, a 14-inch Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope, a CCD camera and a classroom. This observatory is open to the public on Saturday nights, when clear, from May through October.

The James and Joan Leary Family Environmental Education Center consists of 168 acres located in a popular four-season recreational area at the confluence of the Flambeau and Chippewa rivers. The land is surrounded by Chippewa County forest land. The Leary Family Environmental Education Center will become an integral part of the university’s public health and environmental studies department. Information about the Leary Environmental Education Center is available from the public health and environmental studies department at phes@uwec.edu.

Nature Conservancy Tracts, owned by the UW-Eau Claire Foundation, include 320 acres of forest and marshland that are available for scientific investigations and class use. One of these, the Schmidt Tract, is approximately 30 miles east of Eau Claire in Clark County, and two are in Washburn County near Sarona and Spooner. More specific information concerning location and use of this land can be obtained from Dr. Winnifred Bryant, biology department, at bryantwm@uwec.edu.

Off-Campus — Mississippi:

The Gulf Coast Research Laboratory (GCRL), Ocean Springs, Mississippi, is an out-of-state institution affiliated with the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. The GCRL offers two summer terms and provides students instruction in a marine environment. For more specific information contact Dr. David Lonzarich, biology department, at lonzard@uwec.edu.

UW-Eau Claire – Barron County Campus

Campus Solution Center: 715-788-6244

Parking and Transportation Services: Visitors should obtain a parking permit at the Solution Center in Meggers Hall. More information regarding parking can be found at https://barron.uwec.edu/about/maps-directions/.

Department Offices

The office addresses of department chairs are listed in the departmental sections of the catalog.

Campus Buildings

Fine Arts & Theater

Gymnasium

Library

Meggers Hall (Administration)

Physical Plant

Ritzinger Hall (Classrooms) 

Student Center

Other Campus Locations

Amphitheatre

Glenwood Commons Student Housing

Japanese Garden

Observatory

Sites and Collections Supporting Instruction and Research

UW-Eau Claire – Barron County's Library has an extensive collection of resources. To learn more, please visit this website: https://barron.uwec.edu/library/about-the-library/.

Accreditation and Memberships

The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. Address:

230 South LaSalle Street
Suite 7-500
Chicago, Illinois 60604
Telephone: 800-621-7441

Specific programs or individual units of the University are accredited or approved by the following agencies, as explained in appropriate sections of the catalog:

• AACSB International—the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business
• Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communication
• American Chemical Society
• American-Speech-Language-Hearing Association
• Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education
• Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education
• Council on Social Work Education
• National Association of Boards of Examiners of Long Term Care Administrators
• National Association of School Psychologists
• National Association of Schools of Music
  National Association for the Education of Young Children
• National Environmental Health Science and Protection Accreditation Council
  State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement
• Wisconsin Department of Health and Social Services
• Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction
• Wisconsin State Board of Nursing

The university is a member of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education, the American Association of State Colleges and Universities, the American Association of University Women, the American Council on Education, the Association of American Colleges and Universities, the Council of Graduate Schools, the Council for Opportunities in Education, the Council on Undergraduate Research, the Wisconsin Campus Compact and the Wisconsin Institute for Peace and Conflict Studies.

Continuing Education and Extended Campus

The “Wisconsin Idea”

The “Wisconsin Idea,” a concept named after the state that pioneered its development, holds that the function of a university is not only to educate full-time students on its home campus but also to extend educational opportunities and services to all citizens of the state. The Wisconsin Idea is incorporated into the general mission of the Universities of Wisconsin and the particular missions of the various institutions.

The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire has long supported the Wisconsin Idea and the related idea of education as a process continuing throughout the lifetime of an individual. The university welcomes contemporary learners who wish to attend credit and non-credit courses for personal or professional reasons.

University of Wisconsin-Extended Campus

To increase the availability of educational opportunities both on and off campus, the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire and University of Wisconsin-Extended Campus cooperate in providing noncredit continuing education programs and credit courses designed for contemporary learners. 

Continuing Education – Connecting Campus and Community

UW-Eau Claire Continuing Education is dedicated to supporting people seeking education to improve their lives by providing innovative programming in a variety of areas. Utilizing resources from UW-Eau Claire and UW-Extended Campus we develop our programing through collaboration with communities and professionals working in their fields. All our programs are designed with inclusivity in mind and are focused on providing the best educational value. 

Here are a few things we do:

• We offer an extensive array of professional development programming helping professionals learn new skills and, in some cases, earn credits toward a certification or recertification. 
• We provide support for several UW-Eau Claire graduate programs whether it is helping students get the courses they need to qualify for graduate programs to offering full certificate and degree programs. 
• Through our Small Business Development Center, we support job growth by providing free counseling to small businesses whether they are just starting out or looking to expand.  
• We provide personal enrichment programming for the community.

We believe in the power of education no matter what stage of life you are in or where you want to go. 

Information about current offerings may be obtained from the Office of Continuing Education at 715-836-3636, or toll-free 866-893-2423.