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History of the University Center

The concept of a gathering place for UW-Whitewater students began many years ago. In the late 1930's and early 1940's, the Goal Post on Main Street, which later became Salamone's Restaurant, was a meeting place for students. In 1947, an old army barracks was moved from Camp Grant in Rockford, IL to Whitewater. The Post-War Building Fund donated $5,000 to help reconstruct the barracks, which then served as the first "student union."

In 1959, the doors to a new student union were opened for the first time. The new construction housed a lounge, cafeteria, game room and bookstore, along with offices and meeting rooms. A south addition was built in 1963 to keep up with the growing enrollment. Included in this addition was another dining area - The Warhawk, more study and programming space, a new game room with a bowling center and an information desk.

Square footage was again added in 1988 to offer more services and program space including another restaurant, the Student Service Center(now Information/Ticket Services), the UW Credit Union, a copy center (now Printing Services), convenience store, administrative offices, the Campus Activities and Programs Office (now Leadership Development), and student organization offices.

Updates throughout the 1990's included the Rec Center, Commons, Schaffer Room & Warhawk. In the mid-1990's, the University Center developed a plan to remodel the union, blending the three buildings and utilizing the services of the now 139,500 square feet more efficiently. In 1997, the University Center was officially named after former Chancellor James R. Connor.

The turn of the millennium hasn't slowed the growth of the University Center. In 2002, the UC has welcomed a new ice cream parlor named Shiver's to its already extensive list of attractions. The Minneiska Dining Room also has been the recipient of a facelift.

This is all just the beginning for the University Center. The future holds an extensive remodeling and addition plan, which contains countless improvements. The University Center has definitely grown throughout the years and it seems that the possibilities in the future are endless.