The University of Wisconsin--Eau Claire was founded in 1916 as Eau Claire State Normal School. A single building, now known as Schofield Hall, was constructed on a 12-acre site donated by the city of Eau Claire. With a student body of 159 and a faculty of 20, the school offered one- and two-year elementary and three- year secondary teachers' courses, and a principal's course. Although the education of teachers was the mission of the institution, from the beginning it made available two years of general education or pre-professional study for persons not expecting to teach. Harvey A. Schofield was the first president of the new school, and his leadership saw it through the first 25 critical years of its existence.