The story
History
Establishment
The Wisconsin State Constitution, ratified in 1848, called for a state university as well as a teacher training department in that school. Thus, the University of Wisconsin-Madison was established, yet a teacher training department did not start officially till 1852. In 1857 a Normal School Board of Regents was established to allocate funds to institutions in the state that supported teacher training. Madison's teacher training program (called the Normal Department) separated and rejoined the university twice (1860 and 1863) due to fluctuating Civil War-era interest in teacher education. After a final 1868 split, limited funds furnished to universities that provided teacher education meant many did not invest in this field. The solution identified by the Normal School Board of Regents was to establish Normal Schools around the state for the sole purpose of teacher education. The first regional Normal Schools were established in 1866 in Platteville and Whitewater.
In 1891, the Board of Regents authorized the establishment of a sixth normal school to serve the northern half of the state. Many cities wished to have the normal school, but the ultimate contenders were Stevens Point and Wausau. On July 21, 1893, at 3 p.m. the Board of Regents voted for the site. Shortly after midnight, a telegram from Madison confirmed that Stevens Point was the home of the new normal school.
After securing land and funding from the City of Stevens Point and Portage County and winning the right to host the new normal school, Stevens Point Normal School opened on September 17, 1894, with 201 students. In addition to teacher preparation, "domestic science" (home economics) and conservation education were offered; the latter formed the basis for the College of Natural Resources.
The board of regents selected Theron B. Pray as the first president of the university and allowed the hiring of 12 more faculty members.
20th century to present
Early 20th-century enrollment growth spurred campus expansion, including west and east wings added to Old Main in 1901 and 1914 respectively, and a domestic science cottage named Sims Cottage in 1915. In 1913, the state authorized the first dormitory in the normal school system, Nelson Hall, completed in 1915. The Orthman Rural Demonstration School was built in 1923, and a training school, now the Communication Arts Center, was approved in 1926. The domestic science cottage and the rural demonstration school were both demolished in the 1950s.
In 1927, Stevens Point Normal School became Central State Teachers College, offering four-year degrees. Peter J. Michelsen developed the music program starting in 1931, with the first bachelor of music degree in the state college system approved in 1959. In 1946, a conservation education major, the first in the U.S., was established which eventually developed into the College of Natural Resources.
When post-World War II enrollment became less centered on teacher training and more focused on liberal arts education, the Wisconsin State Legislature intervened, changing the school's name in 1951 to Wisconsin State College–Stevens Point with the authority to grant bachelor of arts and bachelor of science degrees. In the same year, the College of Letters and Science was established.
The 1950s and 1960s saw significant construction due to increased enrollment, and the institution became Wisconsin State University–Stevens Point in 1964, offering graduate degrees, with the College of Fine Arts also established that year. In 1967, a student "beer riot" occurred in response to potential legal drinking age changes, which included a bonfire downtown and looting of a beer truck. In 1968, the Northwoods battalion ROTC unit was formed. In 1969, an International Studies program, the first in the university system, was established. Student protests against the Vietnam War included a Nelson Hall "sit-in" in 1970. The College of Natural Resources and the College of Professional Studies were also created in 1970. In 1971, the school became part of the University of Wisconsin system, adopting its current name.
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In 1974, Lee S. Dreyfus began his tenure as chancellor, a position he held until his election as Wisconsin's governor, an honor he celebrated with his 1979 inauguration on Old Main's front lawn. The university expanded its reach in 1985 with the establishment of the Treehaven field station. A unique moment in the campus's history occurred in 1995, when the Jacksonville Jaguars, as part of the 'Cheese League', conducted their training camp on campus.
As the 21st century approached, the university demonstrated a growing commitment to environmental stewardship, forming a sustainability task force in 2007 with the goal of achieving carbon neutrality. However, the university also faced challenges, including the 2009 resignation of Chancellor Linda Bunnell following a student vote of no-confidence stemming from a reported automobile accident and allegations of driving under the influence. More recently, in 2022, the university's commitment to ecological education was bolstered by the donation of an 11-acre property, which became the Bob Engelhard Restoration Ecology Field Laboratory.
Chancellors and presidents
List of UWSP's chancellors and presidents:
Native American history
The UW-Stevens Point campus currently sits atop a Native American burial site. Recently, historic research showed the campus encompasses what was at one point a Native American camp and burial ground of the Ho-Chunk, Menominee, Ojibwe and Potawatomi. In the 1860s, scarlet fever devastated a diverse group of Native Americans who were living outside of Stevens Point after being forced out of their ancestral homelands by settlement. The deceased were buried on this site. A mural was dedicated on May 5, 2023, that memorializes Native Americans buried on campus as well as the annual Pow Wow.
From Wikipedia’s article on University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.5