A Brief History

The University of Wisconsin-Parkside was founded in 1968 to better serve the needs of a growing population in southeastern Wisconsin. Until that time, the cities of Racine and Kenosha each had a two-year University of Wisconsin College campus. Bringing the two schools together to create UW-Parkside gave students the opportunity to earn a bachelor's degree without incurring the cost of moving to and living in another part of the state.

Dr. Deborah Ford is the sixth chancellor in the school's history, beginning her tenure August 1, 2009.

The University of Wisconsin-Parkside offers undergraduate and graduate degree programs in the traditional classroom setting, online, and a combination of both delivery methods.

The 700-acre campus provides an outdoor laboratory for many environmental class offerings.

The campus is located in the town of Somers between the two southeastern Wisconsin cities of Kenosha and Racine - just a few miles from each - and just a mile from the Lake Michigan shoreline. During the past five decades, the university has created numerous partnerships in both communities as well as cities and towns in the western portion of Racine and Kenosha counties. Two of the most recent partnerships are the Root River Environmental Education Community Center in Racine (REC), and the Center for Environmental Education, Demonstration and Applied Research in Kenosha (CEDAR).

Alumni as of August 1, 2009 - 18,190
Alumni living in southeastern Wisconsin and northeastern Illinois - 12,640 or 74%
Alumni of record with contact information on file - 16,990