University of Wisconsin-Fond du Lac

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Welcome sign for UW-Fond du Lac

The University of Wisconsin–Fond du Lac, part of the University of Wisconsin Colleges, is a two-year campus of the University of Wisconsin System located in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, USA.

UW-Fond du Lac is one of 13 freshman-sophomore liberal arts transfer campuses of the UW Colleges and offers a general education associate degree. After beginning their studies at UW-Fond du Lac, students transfer to other UW System institutions as well as to colleges and universities throughout the country to complete their bachelor's degrees. The college offers seven bachelor's degree programs from five 4-year state colleges which can be completed on campus.

The campus features a 2 acre lake surrounded by six buildings. A 60-acre Gottfried Arboretum is under development and will serve as an outdoor classroom and provide recreational opportunities.

[edit] History

The beginnings of the campus are rooted in the 1950's when the University of Wisconsin-Madison operated an extension campus in Fond du Lac. By the beginning of the 1960's however, that venture had ended, and local community organizers were hoping to bring a fully operating campus to the community. Setting up a joint commission between the city and county, they successfully persuaded for the building of a campus and set aside land in 1966, the previous home of the county airport on the city of Fond du Lac's east side.

The campus opened as a satellite campus of UW–Oshkosh on September 9th, 1968. It would become its own independent two-year campus in 1972.

The addition of a student commons, 300 seat Prairie Theater, and renovation of the original buildings was completed in the fall of 2000.