University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh

Infobox University
name = University of Wisconsin Oshkosh


type = State university
established = 1871
city = Oshkosh
state = Wisconsin
country = United States
undergrad = 11,070 (2006)
postgrad = 1,257 (2006) [ [http://www.uwsa.edu/opar/ssb/2005-06/pdf/r_b400.pdf University of Wisconsin Graduate headcount] ]
chancellor = Richard H. Wells
campus = Urban
nickname = Titans
website = http://www.uwosh.eduThe University of Wisconsin Oshkosh (also known as UW Oshkosh or UWO) is a public university located in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. It is part of the University of Wisconsin System and offers both bachelor and master degrees. University of Wisconsin Oshkosh has the third largest undergraduate headcount in the UW System. [http://www.uwsa.edu/opar/ssb/2005-06/pdf/r_a300.pdf University of Wisconsin undergrad headcount (PDF File)] ]

History

In 1871 the university began as Oshkosh State Normal School. The university was Wisconsin's third teacher-training school. Oshkosh Normal began the first state normal school in the United States to have a kindergarten.

From 1927 to 1951 the university was called Oshkosh State Teachers College. The university was called Wisconsin State College Oshkosh from 1951 to 1964 and Wisconsin State University Oshkosh from 1964 to 1971. It became part of the University of Wisconsin System in 1971.

Today, it offers seven baccalaureate and seven masters degrees in 73 programs spanning four colleges. The college is widely known to be strong in accounting, nursing, business, teaching, and fine arts. Enrollment in the fall of 2000 was 11,770, and enrollment in 2007 was 12,772.

Campus Facts

* Location: Oshkosh, Wisconsin
* Student population: 12,772
* Faculty: 300
* Instructional academic staff: 268
* Grant awards: $9 million annually
* Student to faculty ratio: 21:1
* Average high school GPA: 3.29
* Undergraduate majors: 57
* Most popular majors: Business, education, health sciences, communication/journalism, social sciences [http://www.uwosh.edu/chancellor/systemofaccountability/UWOCollegeProfile.pdf UW Oshkosh College Portrait (PDF file)] ]
* Master's degree programs: 17
* Courses in catalog: 1,156
* Sections offered: 2,350
* Campus size: 164 acres
* Number of buildings: 49
* Classroom space: 100,158 square feet
* Computer labs: 47
* Student organizations: 152
* Number of alumni: 71,142

2007-2008 Tuition and Fees

* Resident tuition and fees: $5,689
* Non-resident tuition and fees: $13,262
* Room and Board: $5,746
* Books and supplies: $800 [http://www.uwosh.edu/strategicplan/chancellor/Annual_report_07.pdf UW Oshkosh 2007 Annual Report(PDF file)] ]

State and National Recognition

Nursing
Since the year 2000, the College of Nursing Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) graduates have had a 100% pass rate on the American Nurses Credentialing Center FNP Exam.

Business
Senior business majors at UW Oshkosh taking the ETS business knowledge assessment test ranked in the top 5 percent nationwide.

UW Oshkosh students who took the CPA exam placed the university in the top 10 schools nationally.

Radio-TV-Film
Productions and scripts by UW Oshkosh radio-TV-film students have won 21 grand prizes in National Broadcasting Society competitions.

Education
More special education teachers graduate from UW Oshkosh than any other UW institution.

Since 1990, 65 UW Oshkosh graduates have gone on to be awarded the Herb Kohl Teacher of the Year Award.

Faculty excellence
UW Oshkosh has won more Regents' Teaching Excellence Awards than any other UW institution. Four individual faculty members and the English, Biology, and Chemistry departments have been awarded this recognition.

Sustainability
UW Oshkosh is the first U.S. university to be declared a Fair Trade University.

UW Oshkosh was awarded the esteemed Campus Ecology Recognition by the National Wildlife Federation.

UW Oshkosh is Wisconsin's second-largest purchaser of renewable energy and ranks 23rd among all U.S. colleges and universities using it. [http://www.uwosh.edu/assets/pride/index.php UW Oshkosh Points of Pride] ]

ports

Since 2003 the men's club volleyball team has finished in the top five every year at the National Intramural Recreational Sports Association (NIRSA) championships. In 2005, the team finished second [ [http://www.nirsa.org/sports/volleyball/sport_club/2005/files/rankings.pdf NIRSA Final Ranking, 2005] ] , while in 2006 [ [http://www.nirsa.org/sports/volleyball/sport_club/2006/rankings_final.aspx Final NIRSA Ranking, 2006] ] and 2007 [ [http://www.nirsa.org/sports/volleyball/sport_club/2007/rankings_final.aspx Final NIRSA Ranking, 2007] ] , finished first. The team is coached by Brian Schaefer, who has a .756 winning percentage. [ [http://www.oshkoshvolleyball.com OshKosh Volleyball website] ]

Both the baseball and basketball programs have been quite successful, making several recent appearances at the Division III championship level. There have been 8 baseball players to play in Major League Baseball.

The school's gymnastics program also won multiple NCAA Division II-III and NAIA men's gymnastics championships before the sport was dropped at small-college levels.

Both Men's and Women's track teams are quite successful. The women have won an unprecedented 7 national titles in Division III Outdoor Track and Field while the men consistently place in the top 10 teams in the nation.

The only on-campus sports facility is Kolf Sports Center, which features the main basketball/indoor track/volleyball gymnasium. Other events held here include commencement ceremonies and concerts. Both Titan Stadium (the football/soccer/outdoor track venue) and Tiedemann Field (the baseball/softball field) are located across the Fox River, making them somewhat inaccessible from campus. Despite a recent multi-million dollar renovation, the best attended sporting events at Titan Stadium are for the two local Oshkosh public high school football teams, both of whom use it as their home field.

tudent media

The school's newspaper is the [http://www.advancetitan.com/ Advance-Titan] . The school has a radio station, WRST-FM 90.3 in the Arts & Communications building. The call letters stand for "Radio Station of the Titans." The station carries Wisconsin Public Radio and student programming.

The school's student-media outlets are known across the country for producing young sports writing and broadcasting talent. Titan TV, the school's television channel,for a while was the only NCAA Division III school to telecast all home football and men's and women's basketball games complete with live pre-game, halftime, and post-game shows.

Historic places

There are three locations on the campus that have been listed on Registered Historic Places. A fourth historical site, Buckstaff Observatory, is located on campus but is no longer owned by the university.

Oshkosh State Normal School Historic District

Three buildings on the original campus make up this historic district. Dempsey Hall serves as the administration center of the campus. Harrington Hall hosts geology classes. Swart Hall, completed in 1928, is used by the mathematics, economics, and sociology departments. It was originally used as a place where student teachers taught kindergarten through ninth grade students.

Oviatt House

Moses Hooper moved to Oshkosh in 1863, and he started construction of the house in 1882. The house was located at the north edge of the Wisconsin State Normal School at Oshkosh. The house was estimated to cost approximately $12,000-$15,000 to build. When Hooper moved into his new residence on October 31, 1883 the actual cost had been $20,000. The structure had modern amenities including hot water heat and running water. The interior was painted by local painters Frank Waldo and Gustav Behncke. The house was sold on September 20, 1900 to Dr. Charles W. Oviatt. The surgeon paid $18,000 for the property. After Oviatt's death in 1912, Oviatt's heirs sold the house and grounds to the State Normal School Regents in 1913 with the agreement that the heirs could live in the house until June 1914. [http://www.uwosh.edu/alumni/uwo_today/history/oviatt_house.php History of the Oviatt House] ; University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh; Retrieved October 26 2007]

The house was first used by the school as a women's dormitory, the first dormitory on campus. The dormatory operated at a loss, and school president Polk discontinued the venture in 1932. After talking about dismantling the building, Polk started renting the house from the school in 1934. The following three presidents of the school also resided in the house, ending with president Penson in 1989. The University of Wisconsin Oshkosh Foundation moved its office in the house in 1990.

The Oviatt House was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979. The application was filed by Dr. Edward M. Noyes, UW Oshkosh professor emeritus in history.

William E. Pollock Residence

William E. Pollock managed OshKosh B'Gosh. He had Fluor Brothers build the house in 1920 for $19,000. The yard included a three car garage, garden, and a fishing pond. Pollock lived in the house from 1920 until 1937. He sold the house on a land contract, but the house was returned to him after the contract was unfulfilled. Pollock donated the house to the Oshkosh State Teachers College in 1943. [http://www.uwosh.edu/alumni/uwo_today/history/pollock_house.php History of the Pollock House] ; University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh; Retrieved October 29 2007]

The college changed the residence into a women's dormitory which could house up to 32 co-eds. In the 1960s is was used as an honors dormitory until it closed in 1967. From 1967 until 1970 it housed the College of Nursing administrative offices. When the College of Nursing was relocated to a new Nursing/Education building, the Alumni Associate took over the structure. It has been used by the Alumni Association since 1970. It is occasionally used for special functions. Notable visitors have included President Jimmy Carter, United Nations ambassador Jean Kirkpatrick, and Edward Albee.

The house is designed as a Mediterranean Revival style house with Italian and Spanish motif. The entrance has an ornate semi-circular wrought iron door leading into a large foyer. The front entry hall opens into a large living room and a smaller parlor. A formal staircase that rises to an open landing and to a study. The second story bedrooms are used as offices for Alumni and Foundation staff. The rear consists of a formal dining room, kitchen, and pantry. The building has three chimneys that are capped with campaniles that resemble Italian bell towers. The residence's exterior is framed by concrete planters and topped by a wrought iron balcony outside of the second floor French windows. The roof is low-pitched red-barrel tile.

Notable Alumni

Business

*Don Smiley, current CEO of Summerfest, former president of the Florida Marlins and former chairman of Pro Player Stadium
*Brett Davis (1999), former adviser to Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson; served as liaison to HHS Legislative Affairs, Food and Drug Administration and the Office of Global Health Affairs
*David Omachinski (1974), President, Oshkosh B'Gosh
*Jamie Pollard (1987), Director of Athletics, Iowa State University
* Phil Whitebloom (1980), vice president of sales for government and corporate accounts at Sony Electronics Inc.

Computer Science

*Brian Paul (1990), programmer of the Mesa 3D graphics library.

Law & Government

*George de Rue Meiklejohn, Nebraska Congressman
*Alvin O'Konski (1927), Wisconsin Congressman
*Jack Voight, Wisconsin State Treasurer

Radio/TV/Film/Journalism

*Steve Boettcher, President of Boettcher Media Group, a 5 time Emmy winning media production company. Directed and produced the Emmy nominated series Pioneers of Television, which appeared on national PBS in Janauary of 2008. Other works include Pioneers of Television, Pioneers of Primetime, The Legend of Lambeau Field, The Gold Rush, and the Oregon Trail.
*Kristofor Brown, Hollywood writer/producer/voice actor (Beavis and Butthead, The Tom Green Show)
*Dan Needles, WISN-TV sport director
*Doug Russell (1995), Sporting News Radio personality
*Jim VandeHei (1994), former Washington Post political reporter and co-founder of The Politico
*Melissa (Ewey) Johnson (1995), former assistant editor and writer at Ebony, and an assistant editor at Cooking Light, one of four 2006 Outstanding Young Alumni Award winners [ [http://www.uwosh.edu/news_bureau/releases/Oct06/outstanding%20alums.html 4 named Outstanding Young Alumni] , 2006; University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, Retrieved November 5 2007]
*Damon Schneider (2001), noted independent filmmaker and English lecturer at UW-Waukesha [ [http://www.waukesha.uwc.edu/eng/dschneid/index.html Damon Schneider Homepage] ]
*Deborah (Nelson) Carr (2000), produceder of eight documentaries for The History Channel, among them Rwanda: Do Scars Ever Fade?, which won a Peabody Award and was nominated for an EMMY Award

cience

*Peter Thompson (1984), geologist with the Department of Defense (Defense Nuclear Agency) in the Treaty Verification Division
*Craig Culver (1973, Biology), President and cofounder of Culver's

ports

*Jim Gantner (attended until 1974), former Milwaukee Brewers second baseman
*Allison Pottinger, curler
*Jack Taschner, current Major League Baseball relief pitcher
*Gary Varsho (attended until 1982), former Major League Baseball outfielder for 8 years
*Jarrod Washburn (attended until 1995), current Major League Baseball pitcher

Teaching

*Clark Byse (1935), retired Harvard Law School professor and possible inspiration for the character Professor Charles Kingsfield in the novel The Paper Chase

Notable faculty

*Pamela Gemin, author/editor (current professor)
*P. C. Hodgell, fantasy writer, artist and current UW-Oshkosh/University of Minnesota lecturer
*Peg Lautenschlager, former Attorney General of Wisconsin (former adjunct faculty)

References in the media

* The fictional anchor of the "Onion Radio News", Doyle Redland, is a UW-Oshkosh alumnus according to his "biography." [ [http://www.theonion.com/content/radionews The Onion] ]

ee also

*Board of Regents of State Colleges v. Roth

References

External links

* [http://www.uwosh.edu The University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh Official Site]
* [http://www.baseball-reference.com/schools/wioshkosh.shtml Baseball-Reference.com list of MLB players]
* [http://www.uwosh.edu/alumni/current_affairs/points_of_pride.php Alumni Points of Pride]
* [http://www.mio.uwosh.edu/nacurh NACURH 2007|One Small Step]