page_title: University of Wisconsin–La Crosse
section_title: Post World War II years
hierarchical_section_title: University of Wisconsin–La Crosse / History / Post World War II years
caption_attribution_description: English: Wittich Hall is one of the oldest buildings on campus and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
context_page_description: The University of Wisconsin–La Crosse is a public university in La Crosse, Wisconsin. Founded in 1909, it is a leading comprehensive university as part of the University of Wisconsin System offering bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees. With 9,600 undergraduate and 1,000 graduate students, UW-La Crosse is composed of five schools and colleges offering 102 undergraduate programs, 31 graduate programs, and 2 doctoral programs. With an annual operating budget of $227 million, it is one of the largest in the UW System with nearly $4 million dedicated to annual research. UW-La Crosse has nearly 85,000 alumni across all 50 U.S. states and 57 countries.
  In 2018, U.S. News & World Report ranked UWL the top comprehensive university in the UW System for the eighteenth consecutive year, and the fourth ranked regional public university in the Midwest. Nationally recognized programs include occupational therapy, physical therapy, and physician assistant offerings at the graduate level. UWL also offers a top ranked archaeology and anthropology undergraduate degree program, the only one in the Midwest and one of few nationally.
context_section_description: After the Regents authorized the nine Wisconsin State Teachers Colleges to establish baccalaureate degrees in liberal arts, the college changed its name to Wisconsin State College-La Crosse in 1951. It was also this same year that Wilder Hall became the first campus residence hall. In 1956, the college was authorized to establish graduate programs, which led to the Master of Science and Master of Arts in Teaching degrees. A graduate program in physical education was also established at that time. Florence Wing Library, the college's first library, was constructed that same year and began a period of substantial expansion for the college. Over the next 18 years (1956–1974), the college ballooned from 5 buildings to a total of 23 buildings. The college added 11 residence halls, 4 academic buildings, 2 libraries, and 2 student centers during that time.
  In 1959, the college celebrated its 50th anniversary, with an enrollment of 1,821 students. That same year presidential candidate John F. Kennedy visited campus and spoke to a packed Graff Main Hall auditorium.
  
  In 1964, the college was designated a university as part of the Wisconsin State University System and was renamed Wisconsin State University-La Crosse. This designation led to the creation of the Colleges of Education, Health-Recreation-Physical Education, and Letters and Sciences. Later, the School of Business Administration was also formed within College of Letters and Sciences. A few years after receiving university designation, the university's fifth president, Samuel G. Gates, began his term in 1966.
  The Wisconsin State University System merged with the University of Wisconsin System in 1971, at which time the university adopted its current name and also changed the title for the head of the university from President to Chancellor. Kenneth E. Lindner, who was at the time the university's sixth president, became the university's first chancellor. Lindner, after serving as chancellor from 1971 to 1979, was succeeded by Noel Richards, who served as the university's chancellor until 1991. Lindner Forest, a heavily wooded section in the southern part of campus, was named in honor of former Chancellor Lindner.
  In 1989, the university's mascot became the Eagle. UWL men's athletics teams had previously been known as the Indians (1937–1989), Red Raiders, Hurricanes, Racqueteers, and Peds and Maroons. The women's athletic teams were known as the Roonies, derived from the university's school colors of maroon and gray, since the inception of female intercollegiate competition in the early 1970s. They adopted the Eagle mascot a year after it became the university mascot. Since the adoption of the Eagle mascot, the band's mascot has been the Screaming Eagle, having been known as the Marching Chiefs before that. The "Eagle in the L" and caricature, which were both created in 1989, were unveiled just before the fall sports teams took to the field as the Eagles for the first time. They were penned by Dave Christianson, a 1973 arts graduate who created the images after the adoption of the Eagle mascot.
caption: Wittich Hall, the second building built on campus
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