[16] Initially, the La Crosse State Normal School was authorized to offer two-year programs to prepare students for the teaching profession.

White who remarked, "We'll hang the lantern in the old college tower... You won't need to look for the key – the door will be open.

That same year presidential candidate John F. Kennedy visited campus and spoke to a packed Graff Main Hall auditorium.

UWL men's athletics teams had previously been known as the Indians (1937–1989),[20] Red Raiders, Hurricanes, Racqueteers, and Peds and Maroons.

The women's athletic teams were known as the Roonies, derived from the university's school colors of maroon and gray, since the inception of female intercollegiate competition in the early 1970s.

[19] She was replaced on an interim basis by Douglas Hastad,[20] who was named the university's fourth chancellor and ninth leader by the UW System Board of Regents in 2001.

[41] The university's centennial campaign and "growth and access" agenda are both aimed at providing the necessary financial resources to deal with the decreased state funding.

[45] Named after a $2 million gift from the Paul Fleckenstein Trust, the 187,000-square foot building expanded the university's science program facilities and research capacity.

[55][56] Beeby served as provost and vice president for Academic Affairs at Keene State College in New Hampshire and assumes the new role July 1, 2024.

Hoeschler Tower (1996), located in the heart of UWL, is the focal point of the campus and a popular destination and meeting place for students.

[33] It is also the site for many university and student events, such as concerts, fundraisers, the clocktower dance, memorial services, and the traditional hanging of the lantern.

Morris Hall (1939, 1966, remodeled 1996) first opened in January 1940 as the La Crosse State Teachers College Training School Building.

It was named for Eugene W. Murphy in recognition of his 22 years of service to UWL and the University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents.

[71] It is located in the center of campus and holds 46 classrooms, including two 250-seat auditoriums, various academic and student advising departments, and a Starbucks coffee outlet.

Considered LEED gold certified, Centennial Hall features a solar roof providing heated water for the entire building.

[72] Completed in 1974 and originally called "North Hall", in 2000 this building was named for former professor and Dean of the College of Arts, Letters and Sciences, W. Carl Wimberly.

A $2 million endowment, the largest single gift in UW-L history, was donated by Carolyn and Jay Scott in support of the new science building.

The field house located in Mitchell Hall has a 4-lane 200-meter polyurethane track, long and triple jump pit, pole vault boxes, nets for tennis, badminton, volleyball, golf, softball/baseball hitting, and a climbing wall.

[81] Microbiology and exercise and sport science are designated as UW System Centers of Excellence, and the College of Business Administration holds international accreditation.

There are a wide variety of undergraduate and two graduate degree programs that comprise the College of Arts, Social Sciences, and Humanities.

[93] The college also offers a Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) degree which was ranked #39 in the nation by U.S. News & World Report.

[100] Incoming freshmen average an ACT score of 25 and a median high school class rank in the 80th percentile, the second highest academic profile in the UW System.

UW–La Crosse also bolstered an 86.5% retention rate of 2022-23 first-year freshman returning to UWL their next year, the second highest in the UW System after the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

The Racquet Press is composed of five major sections: news, sports, letters to the editor, photo series, and humans of UWL.

Routes 4 and 5 provide bus service through campus, connecting to downtown La Crosse, WTC and Valley View Mall.

[116] SMRT buses stop on State Street providing regional bus service to Prairie du Chien, Viroqua, Tomah and other destinations.

UWL men's athletics teams had previously been known as the Indians (1937–1989),[20] Red Raiders, Hurricanes, Racqueteers, and Peds and Maroons.

The women's athletic teams were known as the Roonies, derived from the university's school colors of maroon and gray, since the inception of female intercollegiate competition in the early 1970s until November 1990 when they also adopted the Eagle mascot.

It was created by Dave Christianson, a 1973 art major graduate who penned the images after the UWL men's teams adopted the Eagle mascot.

White began a tradition of hanging one large lantern in the Maurice O. Graff Main Hall tower, above the building's south entrance.