In 1917, Paul A. Carlson came to Whitewater Normal School (now UW-Whitewater), as a business education professor. During his tenure at Whitewater, he published the first standardized textbook in bookkeeping developing the “how” and “why” of the practice/subject. He was also a big proponent for commercial education, proposing “‘A New Deal in Commercial Education,’ stressing personal and social values as primary and vocational training as secondary”. Carlson also took on many leadership positions, including being the director of the accounting department, supervising Pi Omega Pi (business education fraternity), and serving as the president to many business associations. With all these achievements, it came as no surprise that a building on campus would be named in his honor. Carlson Hall, a men’s dormitory, opened in 1964. Located on top of the hill on West Starin Road, the impressive new building housed 246 students. [1]
For many years, the building was used as housing for students and later transitioned to offices for the College of Business and Economics, but it was left empty in 2009 when the business department moved to the recently built Hyland Hall. In 2011, the university received $52 million from the state government to use for campus remodeling projects, and so the university decided that Carlson Hall would no longer remain empty. [2] As part of the campus wide refurbishment efforts, Carlson Hall renovations included “research labs, a café, new faculty offices, conference rooms and space for student organizations.” [3] After the renovation was completed in 2012, Carlson Hall was renamed Laurentide Hall and became the new home of the College of Letters and Sciences in October of that year. [4]
[1] University of Wisconsin—Whitewater, “Ready New Dorms for Fall,” The Royal Purple (Whitewater), July 28, 1964.
[2] University of Wisconsin—Whitewater, “Carlson remodeling an ‘important change’ for university,” The Royal Purple (Whitewater), March 30, 2011.
[3] University of Wisconsin—Whitewater, “Carlson remodeling an ‘important change’ for university,” The Royal Purple (Whitewater), March 30, 2011.
[4] University of Wisconsin—Whitewater, “New name for Carlson Hall likely,” The Royal Purple (Whitewater), April 11, 2012.