Editing University of Wisconsin System (section)

=== Former Wisconsin State Universities ===
In 1866, the state legislature established a [[normal school]] at [[Platteville, Wisconsin|Platteville]]—the first of eight teacher-training schools across the state. In 1911, the legislature permitted the normal schools to offer two years of post-high school work in art, liberal arts and sciences, pre-law, and pre-medicine. The broadened curriculum proved popular and soon accounted for over one-third of the normal schools' enrollment. In 1920, the [[Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching]] issued a report on "The Professional Education of Teachers of American Public Schools", which attacked such programs, arguing that normal schools should not deviate from their purpose as trainers of teachers. When the Milwaukee Normal School (MNS) persisted with its popular enhanced curriculum, the regents of the Normal School system, the legislature, and the governor all became involved. MNS President Carroll G. Pearse was forced to resign in 1923, and the regents ordered the discontinuation of non-teacher-education programs. The issue was not settled, though; public pressure for expanded offerings at normal schools continued to grow, and education professionals asserted that traditional two-year curricula in teacher training were inadequate.

In 1926, the regents repurposed the Normal Schools as "State Teachers Colleges", offering a four-year course of study leading to a Bachelor of Education degree that incorporated significant general education at all levels. The thousands of returning World War II veterans in Wisconsin needed more college choices for their studies under the [[G.I. Bill]], and popular demand pushed the State Teachers College system Regents to once again allow the teacher training institutions to offer bachelor's degrees in liberal arts and fine arts. In 1951 the state teachers colleges were redesignated as "Wisconsin State Colleges," offering a full four-year liberal arts curriculum. In 1955, the Stout Institute in [[Menomonie, Wisconsin|Menomonie]], which had been founded as a private engineering school in 1891 and was sold to the state in 1911, was merged into the Wisconsin State Colleges system; it had previously been governed by a separate state board of regents.

The state colleges were all granted university status as "Wisconsin State Universities" in 1964 (with the exception of [[Wisconsin State College-Milwaukee]], which had become part of the University of Wisconsin in 1956).

As of 1971, the Wisconsin State Universities comprised nine public universities ([[University of Wisconsin–Platteville|Platteville]], [[University of Wisconsin–Whitewater|Whitewater]], [[University of Wisconsin–Oshkosh|Oshkosh]], [[University of Wisconsin–River Falls|River Falls]], [[University of Wisconsin–Stout|Stout]] (in Menomonie), [[University of Wisconsin–Superior|Superior]], [[University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point|Stevens Point]], [[University of Wisconsin–La Crosse|La Crosse]], and [[University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire|Eau Claire]]) and four freshman-sophomore branch campuses, with a total enrollment of 64,148. The board was made up of 14 members, 13 of whom were appointed by the governor and confirmed by the senate for five-year terms. The 14th was the State Superintendent of Public Instruction.