UW-La Crosse - University of Wisconsin System

The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse (UW-La Crosse) is
CURRENT
ENROLLMENT:
the state’s top-ranked public or private higher education
10,558
institution for master’s degree institutions according to
U.S. News & World Report and has been ranked among
in the classroom
a decade. UW-La Crosse is also listed annually among
ACADEMIC PROGRAMS
Kiplinger’s Top 100 Best Values in Public Colleges and
G.I. Jobs’ list of “Military Friendly Schools.” Also in 2014,
Values under $30,000 a year. The student body of more
than 10,500 hails from 40 states and 30 countries. The
university’s retention rate is an outstanding 86 percent.
The six-year graduation rate for students beginning in fall
2008 was 70 percent, well above the 58 percent national
average. UW-La Crosse students are academically
exemplary; the 2014 freshman class had a median high
school class rank in the 80th percentile and an average
ACT score of 25, while 65 percent graduated in the top 25
percent of their class.
92.6%
UNDERGRADUATE: 9,777
GRADUATE: 781
the top four Midwestern public institutions for more than
Kiplinger’s named UW-L No. 4 among its 25 Best College
7.4%
91
26
undergraduategraduate
19:1
80%
Wisconsin
residents
Student to
faculty ratio
80% of faculty hold Ph.D. or terminal degrees
new freshman facts
25
40
states
30
average ACT
countries
77
20% of students
study abroad
valedictorians
96% 86% RETENTION RATE
live on campus
Our student body
comes from:
new freshmen who return
to UW-L their next year
BIOLOGY
PSYCHOLOGY
ELEMENTARY EDUCATION
EXERCISE & SPORT SCIENCE
FINANCE
www.uwlax.edu
UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-LA CROSSE
The university’s founding motto Mens
creative projects. College administrators compile the list
body” — remains strong today.
key for student success. UW-La Crosse was one of only 39
Corpusque, — Latin for “mind and
that recognizes outstanding examples of programs that are
institutions nationally in the group that includes Harvard,
strong exercise and sport science
program, it has expanded into many
other disciplines. UW-La Crosse offers
91 undergraduate programs in more than 30
disciplines, and 25 graduate programs and emphases. The
19:1 student-faculty ratio allows for diverse and high-
quality, elective offerings and smaller classes. More than
300 international students from 30 countries bring the
world to campus. The campus attracts more international
students than any of the other 11 comprehensive UW
campuses, bringing a $7.9 million economic impact to the
area — the largest of the five comprehensive campuses in
the 3rd Congressional District. In 2013, UW-La Crosse
ranked 30th nationally for the number of students studying
abroad.
Yale, Princeton, Stanford, the University of Michigan, the
University of North Carolina and UW-Madison, the only
other Wisconsin school listed. UW-La Crosse continues to
gain attention for diversity. For
the second year in a row in 2014,
UW-L received a national award
honoring universities with an
outstanding commitment to diversity and inclusion. UW-L
received the Higher Education Excellence in Diversity
(HEED) award from INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine,
the oldest and largest diversity-focused publication in
higher education. UW-L is the only Wisconsin higher
education institution to receive the award.
The university’s College of Business
The campus is known for
Administration holds accreditation
stellar teaching. UW-L
from the Association to Advance
professors have earned
Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB)
professor-of-the-
year titles three of
the last four years.
Biology Professor Scott
Cooper received the 2014
Wisconsin Professor of the
Year Award from the Carnegie
Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. UW-L
History Professors Victor Macías-González and Greg
Wegner received the honor in 2013 and 2011, respectively.
UW-La Crosse is among an elite group of universities
university was listed in U.S. News & World Report’s “A
Focus on Student Success” for undergraduate research and
became the first university or college in Wisconsin – and
only the second business college in the nation – to receive
the Council for Higher Education Accreditation Award
for Outstanding Institutional Practice in Student Learning
Outcomes.
Financial awareness stretches across
campus. UW-L’s “It Make$ Cents!”
financial literacy program has
received a 2012 and 2013 Wisconsin
Financial Literacy Award from the
state’s Department of Financial
Institutions. In 2013, the program
ON
M
nationally that excel in undergraduate research. The
International. In 2013, the college
EY
ER
While the campus maintains a
M AN
C
A GE M EN T
was one of only 13 organizations and seven individuals
recognized for promoting financial literacy. EN
T
UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-LA CROSSE
The natural science departments have distinguished
The university’s intercollegiate athletic teams — the Eagles
Institute of Physics ranked the Physics Department No. 2
Division III, and have earned 63 national titles — 29 since
themselves in many ways in recent years. The American
in the nation for the number of bachelor’s degrees it awards,
and recognized it as a model for providing graduates with
career and educational advancement opportunities. The
department also brings a Nobel laureate to campus each
year to present public lectures and meet with students.
The Microbiology Department has long been recognized
as a University of Wisconsin Center of Excellence. The
Biology Department was the recipient of the 2013 Board of
Regents Teaching Excellence Award.
The Math Department is a leader in mathematics education
and recently offered UW System’s first massive open online
course (MOOC) in college readiness math with support
of a Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation grant. The MOOC
won the 2013 Desire2Excel award in recognition of its
ingenuity, creativity and collaboration in empowering
students to achieve their academic goals.
— compete in 19 sports, predominantly in the NCAA
2001. The university is proud of the Veterans Memorial
Field Sports Complex, a $16.6 million athletic complex
completed in 2009 and funded entirely by private donations.
The site is home to the annual WIAA State High School
Track and Field Championships, and hosted the NCAA
Division III National Track and Field Championships in
May 2013. The university
has also been selected by
the NCAA to host the
2017 NCAA Division III
Wrestling Championships
Men’s Outdoor Track &
Field Championships.
UW-La Crosse will also
host the 2015 National
medicine technology program. The campus is home to
championships.
therapeutic recreation degrees. Other unique academic
programs include archaeological studies, clinical laboratory
science, exercise and sport science and radiation therapy.
17
Division III
athletic teams
Division III Women’s and
UW-La Crosse offers Wisconsin’s only certified registered
the nationally-accredited recreation management and
of UW-L students visit
the Recreational
Eagle Center yearly.
and the 2018 NCAA
Collegiate Gymnastics
nurse anesthesia program and UW System’s only nuclear
93%
Association Division III
EAGLES
63
national
championships
UW-L student-athletes
consistently earn the
highest average GPA
in the conference
Our students compete well in class too. Student-athletes
had the highest combined GPA among the nine Wisconsin
Intercollegiate Athletic Conference institutions in 2013-
14, finishing with a cumulative 3.240 GPA. It was the 15th
consecutive year UW-L student-athletes took the top spot
in the conference.
UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-LA CROSSE
Campus Strengths and Opportunities
Existing Partnerships With Federal Agencies
UW-La Crosse’s River Studies Center, along with
McNair Scholars: The Ronald E. McNair Post-
long-term collaborations with the Upper Mississippi
U.S. Department of Education TRIO program that
the Biology and Microbiology Departments, has built
Environmental Science Center, U.S. Geological Service
and National Park Service. The campus is also a member
of the Great Lakes-Northern Forest Cooperative
Ecosystems Studies Unit (GNLF-CESU) that provides
multidisciplinary opportunities for cooperative, federally
funded research. Additionally, U.S. Department of
Education grants fund a sports medicine athletic therapist
international exchange program, adapted physical
education specialist training programs, and mathematics
and science partnerships that provide professional
development opportunities for teachers from local school
districts.
UW-La Crosse faculty and staff have ongoing federal
support from the National Institutes of Health, National
Science Foundation, U.S. Department of Defense, U.S.
Department of Education, and U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency that funds research and teaching
projects. Biology and Chemistry faculty carry out
contract work for divisions of the U.S. Department of
Interior. Archaeology faculty and Mississippi Valley
Archaeology Center staff carry out contract work for
the U.S. Department of Transportation and the U.S.
Department of the Interior via the National Resources
Conservation Service. University Police Services receives
funding from the U.S. Department of Justice via the
Wisconsin Office of Justice Assistance. The Small Business
Development Center is supported with funding from
the U.S. Small Business Administration through UWExtension. Pending grants include requests directed to
several aforementioned agencies as well as the National
Endowment for the Humanities and the National
Aeronautics & Space Administration.
Baccalaureate Achievement Program is a federally funded
provides eligible students with support and preparation
for graduate school. McNair scholars must either be low-
income, first-generation college students, and/or members of
a traditionally underrepresented group in their field (usually
African American, Latino/a, Native American, and/or Asian
Pacific Islander). The program at UW-La Crosse began in
October 2009 and is housed in the College of Science and
Health.
Student Support Services: UW-La Crosse’s Student
Support Services (SSS) program is located in the Division
of Student Affairs. The program provides personal,
academic and career support services to low-income
and first-generation college students as well as students
with disabilities. A federally funded U.S. Department of
Education TRIO program, SSS provides assistance to 350
eligible students each year.
Upward Bound: Upward Bound, a TRIO program funded
by the U.S. Department of Education, helps qualified high
school students find academic success in high school while
also preparing them for success in college. Eligibility is
determined by family income and parents’ education level.
UW-La Crosse serves students in 9th through 12th grades
who attend high schools in La Crosse, Monroe and Jackson
Counties.
Mathematics & Science Partnerships (MSP): Two
MSP programs on campus — one in physics and one in
mathematics — are funded by the U.S. Department of
Education through the Wisconsin Department of Public
Instruction. The programs build partnerships between UWLa Crosse STEM faculty and high-need school districts to
provide classroom teachers with professional development
in content knowledge and teaching skills, thereby increasing
the academic achievement of students in mathematics and
science.
UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-LA CROSSE
Undergraduate Research
Student engagement in research
creates technically adept citizens
and powers economic development.
UW-La Crosse is committed to
student research. The university
supports Undergraduate Research
& Creativity Grants, which funds
students conducting research under
Undergraduate Research
& Creativity Grants support
The UW-La Crosse Undergraduate Research & Creativity
91
students’ research and scholarly activities. Among its efforts,
undergraduate research
projects
a group of six faculty members formed the UW-La Crosse
Office provides a centralized campus resource to support
it coordinates programs that give students opportunities to
develop workplace skills and engage in real world problem
solving. Through a pilot program in the 2013 fall semester,
Policy Research Network to help UW-La Crosse students
the mentorship of a faculty member.
and faculty find, research, and prepare unbiased policy
undergraduate research projects. Students are encouraged
of public concern that they wanted to learn more about,
and at UW-La Crosse’s annual Celebration of Student
site that lists over 30 potential student research projects
students to present their work through oral presentations,
independent study subjects or course-embedded research
grown to include over 100 posters, oral presentations,
to aid them in making the best policy decisions for their
Students also have opportunities to present their research
Eagle Apprenticeship program. In partnership with Financial
the Rotunda and national forums, such as the National
25 Eagle Apprentices, incoming first-year students who are
of 30 undergraduates have submitted abstracts to present
scholarship. Students’ projects are linked with their career
national undergraduate research forums, including NCUR
year, and as sophomores they receive $2,000. In addition
Research (CUR) in 2004.
hundreds of students with research grants, scholarships and
In 2014, the program provided $196,991 of support for 91
reports. The network asked area civic leaders for topics
to disseminate the results of their research through the
and the network has been expanded to include a second
Research & Creativity, which provides an opportunity for
for local, non-profit organizations to become future
poster displays and gallery exhibits. The celebration has
projects. Finished reports are given to regional civic leaders
and exhibits representing 30 departments across campus.
constituents. Another collaborative office initiative is the
at statewide venues, such as UW System’s Posters in
Aid and Admissions, the campus has its first full cohort of
Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR). A total
paired with faculty mentors to assist the mentors in their
at NCUR in 2015. UW-La Crosse has also hosted two
goals. First-year students receive a $1,000 award for the first
in 2009 and 2013 and the Council on Undergraduate
to new initiatives, UW-La Crosse continues to support
presentation opportunities each year.
Additionally, campus programs including WiscAMP, the
College of Science and Health Dean’s Summer Fellowship
and McNair Scholars are key initiatives to retaining and
graduating a diverse group of students who will be wellprepared for graduate education and eventual research
positions. These programs increase student competitiveness
in the job market and graduate school. Research with
undergraduates occurs in nearly every department on campus
and is funded by both internal and external grants, including
federal sources.
UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-LA CROSSE
Capital Investment Opportunities
Interdisciplinary Academic & Outreach Programs
UW-La Crosse’s Emerging Technology Center
UW-La Crosse has several interdisciplinary programs
and movement science groups have demonstrated
faculty and departments within the campus as well as
in Pharmaceutical Development and materials
potential for the development of marketable
intellectual property. Work being done in isolating
anti-microbial agents has significant potential for
future pharmacological interventions. Movement
science faculty members are exploring medical devices
with potential for commercialization. Chemistry and
physics faculty members are conducting innovative
projects in materials science that may have the
potential for private capital investment as well as
public investment through the U.S. Department of
Energy and U.S. Department of Defense funding.
that provide opportunities for collaboration among
with local and regional community members in the
public and private sectors. Student service learning or
field experiences associated with such programs may
involve businesses, healthcare facilities, environmental
and public health entities, and K-12 schools. For example,
the Undergraduates in Biology and Mathematics –
Collaboration on Riverine Ecology (UBM-CORE)
integrates mathematics and biology through research and
learning experiences. Empirical parameters from controlled
experiments can be integrated into a mathematical
framework to provide a more comprehensive understanding
of how natural systems function. The next generation of
scientists will be led by individuals who exhibit proficiency
across disciplines and who have the ability to communicate
with scientists of varying backgrounds. Federal funding for
STEM education will be key to continuing such programs
to prepare students for interdisciplinary challenges.
Centers & Institutes
Center for Death Education and Bioethics: UW-
participate in other programs
(CDEB) is a resource center for issues of death, dying and
community. The center
, a quarterly, peer-reviewed journal published by Sage
with the 2012 Program
La Crosse’s Center for Death Education and Bioethics
available in the general
bereavement in contemporary society. CDEB sponsors
received national recognition
Periodicals.
Recognition Award from the Adapted Physical Activity
Center of Disability Health and Adapted Physical
Activity: UW-La Crosse’s Center on Disability Health
Council.
and Adapted Physical Activity conducts a variety of quality
Emerging Technology Center in Pharmaceutical
Development: UW-La Crosse’s Emerging Technology
youth, and adults with a wide array of disabilities. Modified
interdisciplinary community of UW-La Crosse scientists
people who may not be able to safely or successfully
discovery and development of new drug molecules and
physical activity/education programs serving children,
instruction in specific physical activities is provided to
Center in Pharmaceutical Development is an
and scholars whose primary purpose is to engage in the
medicines that may be used to treat clinically significant
human diseases and save lives.
UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-LA CROSSE
English as a Second Language (ESL) Institute: The
technology to enhance undergraduate teaching, learning
their English language skills by offering courses in speaking,
retrieval and sharing of digital content for teaching. Typical
ESL Institute helps non-native speakers of English improve
listening, reading, writing, U.S. culture, current events,
pronunciation and study skills. The classes are designed
primarily for students who need to improve their English
skills to study at a university.
Human Performance Laboratory: The Human
Performance Laboratory is an educational and research
facility with state-of-the-art equipment that makes it
possible to study a wide variety of research topics for
master’s theses and faculty research. The facility provides the
opportunity for the hands-on experience students need to
prepare for internships and professional careers in exercise
physiology, cardiac rehabilitation, sports medicine, fitness
management and other related fields.
Institute of Biomolecular Sciences: The Institute
of Biomolecular Sciences fosters regional education,
communication, and research collaborations. The institute
enhances biomolecular sciences through expanded
communication and research opportunities, recruitment and
retention of talented scientists and students, and increased
extramural funding.
Institute for Innovation in
Undergraduate Research
and Learning: The Institute
for Innovation in Undergraduate
Research and Learning at UW-
La Crosse develops, fosters, and
supports innovations that use digital
and research in the UW System and simplifies the storage,
projects involve students working with faculty to develop
and share instructional and learning materials.
Institute for Latino/a and Latin American Studies:
The Institute for Latino/a and Latin American Studies
provides courses at UW-La Crosse regarding Latin
America. It also promotes a greater understanding of
Latin America, facilitates contact among professors with
Latin American specialties, seeks to respond to students
and community groups, and presents speakers and other
educational programs.
Institute for Professional Studies in Education: The
Institute for Professional Studies in Education houses the
Master of Education-Professional Development Learning
Community program, which is based on a learning-in-
community, constructivist philosophy. It is designed for
certified teachers, professionals from other fields seeking to
meet professional advancement goals, and students pursuing
a master’s degree to fulfill career goals.
La Crosse Institute for Movement Science: The
La Crosse Institute for Movement Sciences is a partnership
between UW-La Crosse, Western Technical College,
Viterbo University, Mayo Clinic Health System and
Gundersen Health System. The institute brings together
faculty and clinicians with expertise in movement-
associated disciplines. It increases collaboration within
the campus and strengthens partnerships with healthcare,
government, and other academic institutions regionally and
nationally.
UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-LA CROSSE
Mississippi Valley Archaeology
Center: The Mississippi Valley
Small Business Development Center: Working in
education about the science of archaeology
Center (SBDC) provides business
Archaeology Center (MVAC) provides
and the ancient cultures of the upper
Mississippi River Valley to the general
public, teachers, undergraduate students
and pre-collegiate students. The center frequently contracts
with the U.S. Department of Transportation, U.S.
Department of Agriculture, U.S. Department of the
Interior, and Wisconsin Department of Transportation
to ensure that land is explored prior to disruption and
development. Center faculty and students conduct research
and exploration of archaeological sites and artifacts, and
preserve artifacts of ancient cultures that flourished in the
upper Mississippi Valley. The center is a regional resource
that promotes understanding of the prior inhabitants of the
region.
partnership with the U.S. Small Business Administration
and UW-Extension, the Small Business Development
advising services, business education
programs, and information resources
for entrepreneurs and small business
owners throughout the Seven Rivers Region. The center
is affiliated with the UW-La Crosse College of Business
Administration, and its service area includes Buffalo,
Jackson, Juneau, La Crosse, Trempealeau and Vernon
Counties. The SBDC earned the 2012 Small Business
Development Center Service Excellence Award for the
Midwest region and for Wisconsin. As the Midwest
regional winner, the center ranked the highest among
centers in Region 5 of the Small Business Administration,
which includes Wisconsin as well as Minnesota, Illinois,
Michigan, Indiana and Ohio.
River Studies Center: The River Studies Center at UW-
Statistical Consulting Center: The Statistical
informational programs pertinent to the Upper Mississippi
areas of sampling, experimental design, data, modeling
La Crosse is a non-curricular unit focusing on research and
River and its related resources. The center has extensive
interdisciplinary partnerships with several state and federal
agencies and with other universities, including the U.S.
Geological Survey, Wisconsin Department
of Natural Resources, Minnesota Pollution
Control Agency, National Park Service, University of
Wisconsin-Madison, and U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency. Center research addresses
resource issues and environmental
problems of pressing regional
and national concern, such as
environmental pollutants and
contaminants that have caused
widespread degradation of aquatic
resources.
www.uwlax.edu
Consulting Center provides advice and assistance in the
and analysis as well as interpretation and written
communication of results for projects that require statistical
methods. The center is housed in the Mathematics
Department. Through the support of a UW System
Economic Development Incentive Grant, the center is
expanding its services to support businesses within the
region by providing economical statistical consulting.