The present-day University of Wisconsin System was created on October 11, 1971, by Chapter 100, Laws of 1971, which combined the former University of Wisconsin and Wisconsin State Universities systems into an enlarged University of Wisconsin System. The final legislation passed in May 1974, combining two chapters of the Wisconsin statutes. The merger took effect July 9, 1974.
Former University of Wisconsin 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 Milwaukee, 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. 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.
Former Wisconsin State Universities 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 (MNS) 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.
Merger 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. The proposal also included splitting UW–Extension between University of Wisconsin–Madison and University of Wisconsin System administration.
University of Wisconsin Colleges Online, which was operating as an additional campus of University of Wisconsin Colleges, would be relocated under University of Wisconsin System administration. Cross announced this proposal without consulting shared governance groups or administrators. System administration argued that the merger would save money. Critics said the merger was being rushed without input from the campuses and that the system was buckling to political pressure from the state.
2023–present: Branch campus closures In 2023,
University of Wisconsin–Platteville Richland shut down, marking the first time a University of Wisconsin campus has closed since University of Wisconsin–Medford in 1980. Following this closure,
four other University of Wisconsin branch campuses have closed. Additionally, one campus has gone entirely online and another has stopped using several of its campus buildings. Many have expressed concerns about the future of the Wisconsin Idea following these closures. == Campuses ==