The Andersen Library Blog

In the beginning of 2005 the 13^th chancellor of the University of Wisconsin – Whitewater, Jack Miller, stepped down from the position. The search for the next Chancellor began that spring. On May 21^st, UW President Kevin P,. Reilly and the Board of Regents Special Committee for the UW-Whitewater Chancellor Search recommended Dr. Martha Dunagin Saunders for Chancellor. At the board meeting in June of 2005, the UW-Whitewater Chancellor Search committee unanimously voted Dr. Martha Dunagin Saunders as the 14^th Chancellor. Dr. Saunders was also the first female chancellor at UW- Whitewater and her term officially began August 1, 2007.

Dr. Martha Saunders earned her bachelor’s degree in French from the University of Southern Mississippi, Master’s degree from the Grady School of Journalism at the University of Georgia, and finally her doctorate in Communication Theory and Research from Florida State University. She has held multiple different positions in higher education in her career. Before coming to UW-Whitewater, Dr. Saunders was the vice president for Academic Affairs at Columbus State University of the University System of Georgia.[1]

Dr. Saunders served the Whitewater community for two years before departing campus. Her main accomplishments during her time as chancellor were updating the mission and goals statements of the university. She also finalized funding for building projects on campus. During her short time on campus, Dr. Saunders connected both with students and faculty as well as the Whitewater community as a whole. Dr. Saunders visited the Children’s Center on campus multiple time throughout the school year. She also had a passion for supporting Whitewater’s downtown economy and showing the business owners UW-Whitewater’s support. On June 6, 2006, Dr. Saunders started a blog for this purpose, named “Around Campus with Chancellor Saunders.” Here she not only wrote about happenings around the campus but also the Whitewater community.[2]

On April 5, 2007, Dr. Saunders was named the next president of the University of Southern Mississippi.[3] Dr. Martha Dunagin Saunders is now the current president at the University of West Florida.

[1] “Saunders named UW-Whitewater chancellor,” The Whitewater Register (Whitewater, WI) August 25, 2005.

[2] “Chancellor Martha Saunders Launches Blog,” The Whitewater Register (Whitewater, WI) August 17, 2006.

[3] Doug Dalsing, “Saunders leaving UW-Whitewater for alma mater, USM,” The Whitewater Register (Whitewater, WI) April 12, 2007.

In the late 1950s and the early 1960s Wisconsin State College – Whitewater, (UW-Whitewater), saw an increase in student enrollment and graduation rates. With the influx of students, the college saw a need not only for extra dormitories and staff but also for another graduation ceremony. WSC-W held its first formal summer graduation ceremony on Thursday, August 1, 1963, to accommodate the number of students earning their degrees.

One hundred thirty-three students received their degrees at the ceremony. Wisconsin State College held its summer commencement at 2:30pm in the college auditorium. Students received a variety of degrees including Bachelor of Education (Kindergarten-Primary, Elementary Education, Academic, Business Education), Bachelor of Science (Business Administration), and, Bachelor of Arts (Liberal Arts). After the ceremony, a reception for the graduates and their guests was held at the student union.[1]

Wisconsin State College – Whitewater hosted guest speaker Dr. John A. Kinneman to speak at the summer commencement ceremony on the “Values in a Changing Society”.[2] The Whitewater Register reported on Dr. Kinneman’s speech and quoted “Good teaching is derived from selecting and analyzing those materials which provide functional insight to many facets of our culture. We must stimulate learners to an understanding of the society in which we have. If we can’t grow in grave, let’s increase, at least, our wisdom.”[3] Dr. Kinneman had retired two months prior from the Illinois State Normal University, now Illinois State University. Dr. Kinneman was the department chair of social sciences for ten years and worked at ISNU for thirty-six years.[4]   

[1] “Largest Summer Class To Get Degrees,” Royal Purple (Whitewater, WI.) July 30, 1963.

[2] “Dr. Kinneman To Speak at Graduation,” Royal Purple (Whitewater, WI.) July 30, 1963.

[3] “’Know Why You Came’ Speaker Tells College Summer Grads,” The Whitewater Register,(Whitewater, WI.) July 30, 1963.

[4] “College Graduation Services Are Slated This Afternoon,” Whitewater Register (Whitewater, WI.) August 1, 1963.

On July 18, 2021, it was officially announced that Starin Hall would be renamed Pulliam Hall in honor of Dr. Roger Pulliam. The proposal was taken to the Whitewater Student Government by the Black Student Union and was passed unanimously in November of 2020.[1]

Dr. Pulliam was the first in his family to graduate from both high school and college. He earned his undergraduate and master’s degree from Western Michigan University and a doctorate degree from the University of Michigan. Pulliam worked at UW-Whitewater from 1989 to 2018 in a variety of different roles including Assistant Chancellor of Academic Support Services, Director of Advisement, and Interim Chief Diversity Officer.[2] He started the King/Chavez Scholars Program in 1997. The program targets low-income, first-generation multicultural students and gives them a chance to be successful in college. The program is celebrating its twenty-fifth anniversary started this August and has grown to a cohort of thirty students.[3] Dr. Pulliam was also a founding member of the Office of the National Black Student Union and was the founding chapter advisor of the Pi Omega Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi National Fraternity Incorporated at UW-Whitewater. Dr. Pulliam was awarded the Lifetime of Service award by the State Council on Affirmative Action in October of 2019.

Dr. Roger Pulliam touched the lives of many students and spent his entire career advocating for the education of low-income, first-generation, multicultural students, much like himself. Dr. Roger Pulliam passed away on February 12, 2020. His memorial service was postponed due to the pandemic but was able to be held on April 2, 2022. At the service, past students, family, and friends shared stories of Dr. Pulliam and his work in higher education. Following his memorial service was the official renaming of Starin Hall. Now, Pulliam Hall, this dormitory is the first and only building on Whitewater’s campus named after a person of color. The renaming of the residence hall not only remembers Dr. Pulliam’s impact on campus but also helps make every UW-Whitewater student feel at home.[4]

 Anderson Library Archives and Area Research, Anderson Library, University of Wisconsin – Whitewater, Whitewater, WI. 

[1] Carina Lopez, “Student Government Proposes Renaming Halls.” Royal Purple (Whitewater, WI.) Dec. 6, 2020.

[2] Mason Thompson, “Hall Renamed to Honor Former Administrator,” Royal Purple (Whitewater, WI.) April 3, 2022.

[3] “Whitewater resident creates minority scholarship at UW-W,” Whitewater Register, (Whitewater, WI) Nov. 5, 1998.

[4] Carina Lopez, “Student Government Proposes Renaming Halls.” Royal Purple (Whitewater, WI.) Dec. 6, 2020

Although we now know the University as the University of Wisconsin – Whitewater, it has not always been called so. The University has been through three different name changes since its establishment. The second name change passed in early 1964. The change from Wisconsin State College – Whitewater to Wisconsin State University – Whitewater became effective July 1, 1964.[1] The University would hold this name until 1971 when the University of Wisconsin System was created.[2]

Developing graduate programs sparked the change from college to university. The first graduate session offered at Whitewater was in the summer of 1960. Thirty-two students enrolled that summer and by 1962 the number had doubled. Whitewater partnered with the University of Wisconsin in the beginning to get the graduate program up and running. Students would earn their first 12 credits at Whitewater and the last 12 credits at Madison. By 1962, the summer graduate sessions had enough students for Whitewater to be able to start their own independent graduate program.[3]

A Change of Name Observance to mark the new school name change took place on July 1, 1964 at Roseman Auditorium.[4] Over 150 faculty, staff, and students attended the ceremonies to hear Dr. Leslie Holmes speak. Dr. Holmes was president of Northern Illinois University and spoke on the opportunities the change from college to university would bring including the chance to grow the graduate programs.[5] President Walker D. Wyman and Vice President Richard Brown also spoke on behalf of the University among many other speakers.

On what was referred to as “the hill” stood the formal sign for the school. The week prior to the Change of Name Observance ceremony, acting student council president Arlan Anderson and Ilene Larson covered the word “college” with “university” to test out the new name. The sign with the updated name was put up during the ceremony on July 1^st.[6]

[1] “Ceremonies Mark Name Change,” The Whitewater Register (Whitewater, WI) July 9, 1964.

[2] “Make Campus Name Change,” The Whitewater Register (Whitewater, WI) November 4, 1971.

[3] M. Janette Bohi, A History of Wisconsin State University 1868-1968 (Whitewater, WI: Wisconsin State University Foundation, 1067, 206.

[4] “Ceremonies Mark Change of Name,” Royal Purple (Whitewater, WI) July 7, 1964.

[5] “Ceremonies Mark Name Change,” The Whitewater Register (Whitewater, WI) July 9, 1964.

[6]  “Ceremonies Mark Change of Name,” Royal Purple (Whitewater, WI) July 7, 1964.

Late June of 1925 saw the completion of an addition to Whitewater Normal School’s (now UW-Whitewater) Old Main building. The east wing was the last wing added to Old Main, and it opened for classes for the summer term of 1925.[1] Once the construction was completed the school enlisted the help of its students in moving equipment into the new wing. Students “gladly carried books and equipment into the new part [wing] for a chance to see what the interior… was like.”[2] The new wing featured an auditorium, new classrooms, and staff offices. The dedication ceremony for the east wing was held later that year on November 7^th. The ceremony featured several speakers, including Governor John J. Blaine. The ceremony was well attended and many who went stayed for the homecoming football game that followed.[3]

When Old Main Burned down in 1970, the East wing was the only wing that was not destroyed. The wing suffered water and smoke damage but was salvaged and renamed Hyer Hall, after President Frank S. Hyer who was president in 1925 when the wing was built. In 1997, University personnel decided to renovate Hyer Hall. This renovation lasted two years and cost $6.5 million.[4] In 1999, Hyer Hall reopened and now houses the Chancellor’s office, classrooms, and more.  

[1] “Use of New East Wing Features Summer School Session of 1925,” Royal Purple (Whitewater WI), June 24, 1925.

[2] “Locals,” Whitewater Register, June 11, 1925.

[3] “Dedicate New East Wing Saturday,” Whitewater Press, November 5, 1925.

[4] Kayla Edgar, “History Recalled,” Royal Purple (Whitewater WI), October 15, 2013.

On June second 1911, Albert Salisbury was pronounced dead at the Sacred Heart Sanitarium in Milwaukee. Salisbury, the fourth president of the Whitewater Normal School (now UW-Whitewater), had taken a leave of absence for health reasons but his death still shook the school community. Salisbury was already an accomplished man when he became the president of Whitewater Normal in 1885. He had been principal at Broadhead High School, served in the army, traveled across the country inspecting schools, and more.[1] While in Whitewater, Salisbury was dedicated to helping his students succeed. The 26 years that Salisbury was president were marked by steady growth, and under his guidance the school was expanded three times.[2] Students also found new ways to get involved on campus; 1901 saw the establishment of the campus newspaper, The Royal Purple. However, it was not all peaceful growth for Salisbury as on April 27^th, 1891, the early morning was pierced with the cry “Normal is afire!”[3] The north wing of the school was destroyed by the fire, but it was rebuilt later that year.[4]

Salisbury was well loved by students and faculty alike, and at his funeral “every seat in church was filled.”[5] His death left the office of the president empty, and so George Shutts was chosen to act as interim for a year until a new president could be found. Though Salisbury was a president and leader for all departments of the Normal School, his passion was for botany. It was his goal to “plant every kind of tree, shrub, and forb that will grow in our climate on the school grounds.”[6] To this day the university has pledged to follow this dream by planting native trees across campus. Overall, Salisbury was dedicated to making this school a better place and distinguishing it as a place of excellence.  

[1] Mary Janette Bohi, A History of Wisconsin State University Whitewater, 1868-1968, (Whitewater WI: Whitewater State University Foundation Inc, 1967), 68.

[2] “President Salisbury Dead,” Whitewater Gazette, June 8, 1911.

[3] Bohi, Whitewater, 114.

[4] Ibid, 116.

[5] “President Salisbury Dead.”

[6] “The Salisbury Idea” UW-Whitewater Sustainability, retrieved from: https://www.uww.edu/sustainability/campus-initiatives/salisbury-idea.

As we see another class of UW-Whitewater students graduating and moving on into their careers after college, it reminds us of graduations gone by and long past. After opening its doors in 1868, Whitewater Normal School (now UW-Whitewater) saw its first class of graduating students in 1870. Six students graduated in that first commencement; they were Samuel Alden, George Bowen, Charles Brockway, James Congdon, Mary McCutchan, and Andrew Steele.[1] The commencement ceremony took place in late June, and despite the sweltering heat, was well attended. The ceremony was held at the Universalist Church and was “crowded with those anxious to witness the exercises of the first graduating class of the Normal School.”[2] The ceremony began after the students and faculty processed from the school to the church. After an opening prayer by Reverend Rogers, pastor of the Universalist Church, each of the graduating students gave speeches. After the graduates spoke, President Arey awarded their diplomas and gave a speech that was “touching and truthful.”[3]

            Most of these students went on to start their careers in education or other fields. Charles Brockway became a successful lawyer. James Congdon went into administration and became a principal in La Crosse. Andrew Steele became an early faculty member of Le Moyne Normal Institute in Memphis, TN. Mary McCutchan stayed in Whitewater and became principal of the preparatory and grammar departments at the Normal School.[4] McCutchan Hall was originally constructed as a dormitory and named in honor of the first women graduate. The building still stands on campus and now houses the Royal Purple Newspaper, the ROTC, and other organizations and programs.

[1] Albert Salisbury, Historical Sketches of the First Quarter Century of the State Normal School at Whitewater Wisconsin, (Madison WI: Tracy, Gibbs & co., Printers, 1893), 6.

[2] “Commencement exercises of the first graduating class of the Normal School,” Whitewater Register, July 6, 1870.

[3] Ibid.

[4] Mary Janette Bohi, A History of Wisconsin State University Whitewater, 1868-1968, (Whitewater WI: Whitewater State University Foundation, Inc., 1967), 50, 261.

On May 8, 1945, the United States celebrated victory over Hitler and the Nazis in Germany, the day known as Victory in Europe (V-E) Day. In Whitewater, the end to the conflict in Europe was celebrated with religious “services of thanksgiving and prayer.”[1] The Whitewater City Council had decided previously that it would be inappropriate to hold a celebration for V-E Day unless they were religious ceremonies.[2]

Though the end to the fighting was celebrated, the students of Whitewater Teachers College (now UW-Whitewater) paid tribute to those who lost their lives in the conflict. Earl Fritz was Whitewater’s first alumnus to die in the war. Fritz, who had graduated only one year prior in 1941 was involved in many activities on campus including sports and the Sigma Tau Gamma fraternity. He was even elected junior prom king in 1940.[3]  Those who knew Fritz during his time in Whitewater remembered him as “proud, strong, [and] courageous.”[4] He was also a leader on the football team, and his coach called Fritz “the greatest athlete I’ve ever coached.”[5] The news of Fritz’s death in 1942 shook the campus community and reminded everyone of the realty that they were “a nation at war.”[6]

Students found ways to help the war effort while staying in Whitewater as well. Many sororities volunteered with the red cross preparing bandages to be sent abroad. The Homecoming committee sponsored a scrap metal drive, and the Royal Purple newspaper promoted stamp and bond sales.[7] Students did what they could to support the war effort while “looking forward to the day when… peace will reign.”[8]

World War II took its toll on Whitewater as it did to every community across the country. Though the conflict in Europe was over, fighting would continue in the Pacific until August of that year. Even though victory in Europe was an important step in ending the war, it would have been inappropriate to hold victory celebrations while American soldiers were still fighting in the Pacific. The most respectable way for Whitewater to recognize this victory was to remain “happy but dignified.”[9]

[1] “We Were Happy But Dignified On V-E Day,” The Whitewater Register, May 10, 1945.

[2] “Council Proceedings,” The Whitewater Register, May 3, 1945.

[3] UW-Whitewater. 1942 Minneiska, n.d. https://jstor.org/stable/10.2307/community.29546575.116.

[4] Ibid,131

[5] Ibid.

[6] Ibid.

[7] UW Whitewater, 1943 Minneiska. Retrieved from https://www.jstor.org/stable/community.29546576. 13,14.

[8] Ibid, 15

[9] “Happy But Dignified.”

On April 21, 1868, Whitewater Normal School (now UW-Whitewater) held its dedicatory service. The Whitewater community had been watching and waiting for the school to open since construction began in 1866.[1] The preliminary term, which began in April of 1868 saw 48 students enrolled in the normal department, that number went up to 105 when the school opened up again in September after Summer Break.[2]

The day of the dedication service saw many excited townsfolk and new students filling the large lecture hall long before the service began.[3] One student remembered that “the sound of the hammer was still echoing through the halls and the workmen rested from their labors, while citizens of the village and students who on the morrow would meet to begin the active work of the school, gathered in the assembly room.”[4] At three-thirty the service began and the people present heard speeches given by William Starr, the President of the Board of Normal School Regents, and Oliver Arey, Whitewater Normal’s first Principal and President. The Whitewater Glee Class then sang a dedicatory song proclaiming the merits and virtues of the Normal School.[5] This was followed by more speeches and then the service was concluded.

The first class to graduate from Whitewater Normal did so in 1870 and was made up of only six students.[6] The school has grown and changed through the years, now almost 12,000 students attend the university.[7] Though much has changed, we still remember our humble origin and look back with pride to see all that we have accomplished.

[1] Albert Salisbury, “Historical Memoranda,” in First Quarter Century of the State Normal School, Whitewater Wisconsin, 1868-1893, ed. Albert Salisbury (Madison WI: Tracy, Gibs & CO., Printers, 1893), 5.

[2] Ibid.

[3] “The State Normal School. Dedicatory Services,” Whitewater Register, April 24, 1868.

[4] Charles Brockway, “Early Days at the Normal School,” in First Quarter Century of the State Normal School, Whitewater Wisconsin, 1868-1893, ed. Albert Salisbury (Madison WI: Tracy, Gibs & CO., Printers, 1893), 40.

[5] Ibid.

[6] “The First Commencement,” Historical Timeline, Retrieved from https://www.uww.edu/150/timeline.

[7] University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Historical Student Enrollment, retrieved from https://www.uww.edu/irp/university-data/enrollment.