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The
University
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 a State Teachers
College (1927-51) it awarded baccalaureate degrees in education;
as one of the Wisconsin State Colleges (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. With the merger of the
two state-supported university systems in 1971, Eau Claire became
a member of the University of Wisconsin System, which includes 13
universities, 13 two-year colleges, and UW-Extension. In 2004, an
administrative restructuring created four colleges: the College of
Business, the College of Arts and Sciences, the College of Nursing
and Health Sciences, and the College of Education and Human
Sciences. Graduate programs are administered by each of the
colleges.
The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire today is a
multipurpose institution, offering a variety of undergraduate and
graduate programs, and serving regionally as a center for
continuing education. The physical plant includes 28 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
student body numbers approximately 10,500; faculty and academic
staff total over 750.
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SELECT MISSION
In addition to the system and core
missions, the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire has the following
select mission:
The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire is a comprehensive
university whose purpose is to foster the intellectual, personal,
social, and cultural development of its students. The University
provides an academic environment designed to encourage
faculty-student interaction and promote excellence in teaching and
learning, scholarly activity, and public service. Its residential
setting fosters personal and social development through a rich
array of co-curricular activities.
The University’s focus is a liberal arts based education across
the curriculum in all programs. The University places a special
emphasis on experiential learning activities, such as
international studies, faculty-student research collaboration,
internships, and community service. UW-Eau Claire is the
University of Wisconsin System’s Center of Excellence for Faculty
and Undergraduate Student Research Collaboration.
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
statement:
- to provide undergraduate education in
a broad range of programs, based on a strong general education
component emphasizing the liberal arts and sciences, offering
degrees in the arts and sciences, allied health fields,
business, education, nursing, and other areas that grow clearly
from university strengths and meet identifiable regional and
state needs;
- to provide graduate education, at the
master’s and specialist levels, in select programs that grow
clearly from undergraduate strengths and meet identifiable
regional and state needs;
- to support and encourage scholarly
activities, including research and creative endeavors, that
enhance its programs at the associate and baccalaureate level,
its selected graduate programs, and its special mission; and
- to support the cultural, education,
and economic development of the immediate region in a variety of
ways, including its outreach and community service programs.
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ACADEMIC
GOALS
The University seeks to foster the intellectual,
personal, cultural, and social development of each student. It
strives to provide distinguished instruction in a democratic
atmosphere, bringing individual students into close contact with a
faculty whose scholarly attainments and concern for teaching are
able to instill a love of learning.
The baccalaureate degree at UW-Eau Claire provides students with
the knowledge and abilities needed for lifelong learning. In
designing the degree, the faculty expect that graduates will have
achieved the following goals. The baccalaureate experience shall
develop for students an:
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understanding of a liberal education.
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appreciation of the University as a learning
community.
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ability to inquire, think, analyze.
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ability to write, read, speak, listen.
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understanding of numerical data.
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historical consciousness.
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international and intercultural experience.
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understanding of science and scientific methods.
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appreciation of the arts.
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understanding of values.
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understanding of human behavior and human
institutions.
The General Education Program, which forms part of
all baccalaureate degree curricula, contributes to the breadth of
each student’s education through its emphasis on the cultural
heritage of a free and responsible citizenry and on the
development of creative imagination, critical judgment, and skill
in the interchange of ideas. Students are afforded opportunities
to collaborate with faculty on research and other scholarly and
creative projects. UW-Eau Claire is recognized as a Center of
Excellence for Faculty and Undergraduate Student Research
Collaboration.
Upon this foundation the University builds its
programs in liberal arts and sciences and in
professionally-oriented fields. In keeping with the goals of the
baccalaureate degree, each program is designed to impart the
specialized knowledge and competencies appropriate to the
particular degree, while providing also for a broad overview of
the entire area and an appreciation of its relationship to other
fields of learning.
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Organization
of the University
The Chancellor of the University is its chief
administrative officer, responsible to the University of Wisconsin
System for all phases of University activity. In the discharge of
these obligations the Chancellor is assisted by other
administrators and, in an advisory capacity, by the faculty and
students of the University. Members of the faculty have primary
responsibility for academic and educational activities; students
have primary responsibility for local policies concerning student
life, services, and extracurricular activities.
The administrative functions of the University are
organized into two areas: Academic Affairs, headed by the
Provost/Vice Chancellor, and Business and Student Services, headed
by the Vice Chancellor. The following brief overview identifies
the major offices which provide direct services to all students; a
more complete listing is found under Administrative Organization
and Personnel.
Academic Affairs. Each College of the
University is headed by a Dean, and each Department by a Chair.
Department Chairs are responsible for assigning a faculty adviser
to each student who elects a major program in the department and
for monitoring the academic progress of all departmental majors.
The Deans are responsible for reviewing and approving students’
plans for a degree. The offices of Advising, Testing and New
Student Orientation, Career Services, and Counseling assist
students with academic planning, degree completion, career
development, employment preparation, and personal counseling. All
students are admitted to the University by the Admissions office.
The office of Records and Registration maintains students’
academic records. The Office of Student Development and Diversity
is responsible for providing supportive services to student
activities, student government, and student organizations. Support
for the instructional program is provided by the McIntyre Library,
Teaching and Learning Technology Development Center, and Computing
and Networking Services. These units provide learning resources
and computing and media needs of students, faculty, and academic
staff.
Business and Student Services. In
cooperation with the Office of Student Development and Diversity,
the division of Business and Student Services is responsible for
those activities which contribute to the quality of campus life —
the Children’s Center, Housing and Residence Life, Parking and
Transportation, University Police, and University Centers and
Programs (Blugold Card office, Bookstore, Food Service, Printing
and Duplication, Recreation, Service Center, Student Activities
and Programs, and Student Organizations Complex). Students are
also served by the Financial Aid office and the Business office
which disburses all forms of financial aid and collects fee
payments.
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The School
Year
Each regular academic semester (fall and spring)
consists of approximately seventeen weeks, including days reserved
for registration and final examinations.
The Summer Session is offered in two periods.
Students may enroll for courses during a three-week period in late
May and early June, during which three credits may be taken.
Offerings include regular courses adapted to an intensive
presentation as well as specially designed courses and study
trips. An eight-week period is scheduled in June, July, and
August. Although many courses run for the full eight weeks, others
are scheduled in shorter blocks of time (two, four, or six weeks)
for the convenience of summer students. Offerings include regular
courses and special workshops or institutes at undergraduate and
graduate levels.
The Winterim Session is offered during a
three-week period between the fall and spring semesters. Offerings
primarily include regular courses and may include travel seminars
and field experiences.
With the exception of certain professional
programs, curricula for baccalaureate degrees are designed to be
completed by full-time students in eight regular semesters. Many
students attend summer sessions in order to graduate earlier or
take advantage of special offerings. Others, especially teachers
in the area, find in the summer session an opportunity to
strengthen professional competencies and to work toward graduate
degrees.
The Calendar in this catalogue is supplemented by
a more detailed calendar, including official academic deadlines,
which is available in the Class Schedule.
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