Davies, William R.

Person

Staff Only

Biography

William R. Davies served as the second president of what was then called the Eau Claire State Teachers College from 1941 to 1959.Davies was born in 1893 in Tenino, Washington. His family migrated to Cambria, Wisconsin when he was four years old. He graduated Ripon College with a bachelor’s degree in 1915 and the University of Wisconsin with a master’s degree in 1921. He taught briefly at a private school in Endeavor, Wisconsin, but left that position to serve in World War I. When he returned to the United States, he accepted a position as principal of McKinley Senior High School in Marshfield, Wisconsin. In 1925, he was elected school superintendent of Beaver Dam, Wisconsin, and in 1930, he was elected school superintendent of Superior, Wisconsin.

The enrollment of Eau Claire State Teachers College increased from about 700 to about 1,700 during Davies' years as president. Like the other Wisconsin teachers colleges, Eau Claire became a State College in 1951. The curriculum expanded to include liberal arts subjects, and planning began to add nursing and business programs.

Davies advocated for internationalizing the college by bringing in international exchange students and faculty and initiating travel-study programs for Eau Claire students. Nationally known speakers came to campus to lecture in The Forum Series, which Davies also saw as a way to involve the community more closely with the college.

After a decade of effort, Davies secured the construction of a second building on the Eau Claire campus. The Brewer Hall/Zorn Arena/Kjer Theatre/Campus School complex opened in 1952. Two dormitories and a student center were completed later in the decade, making Eau Claire State much more of a residential campus.

Having announced his intention to retire, Davies died on Dec. 10, 1959. The first UW-Eau Claire student center, the W.R. Davies University Center, was built in 1959 and named in his honor. The original student center was razed and a new facility, completed in 2012, again was named named W.R. Davies Student Center in honor of this former chancellor.

Occupations

President -- Date: 1941 - 1959

Found in 2 Collections and/or Records:

University Archives Photograph Collection, 1916-2011

Collection

Identifier: Archives Series 279

Summary A collection of over 2000 photographs focusing on the University of Wisconsin—Eau Claire. The collection includes images of university buildings, various campus scenes, athletics, student organizations, student activities, programs and special events, ceremonies, and people (identified and unidentified students, staff, faculty, administrators, dignitaries, and campus visitors). The collection is arranged into eight series: buildings, athletics, student organizations, campus and student...

Dates: 1916-2011

Found in: Special Collections and Archives, McIntyre Library, UW-Eau Claire

University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire Office of the Chancellor Correspondence and Subject File, 1936-2014

Collection

Identifier: Archives Series 001

Summary University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire Office of the Chancellor's (and previously the President's) correspondence and subject files covering all aspects of the university including instruction, Board of Regents, building program, gifts and grants, accreditation, and student affairs. Although the series dates from 1936 and is therefore incomplete, it includes material from every President's/Chancellor's administration at the University of Wisconsin--Eau Claire. Besides documenting the routine...

Dates: 1936-2014