The Eau Claire Area Committee (1945-1973), a committee of citizens from Eau Claire and the surrounding communities, formed to help disseminate information about the university to the primary region from which the institution draws its students. Desiring better relations with people in the region from which the Eau Claire State Teachers College drew most of its students, President William R. Davies created the Area Advisory Committee in 1945. The group drew its members from a radius of approximately sixty miles around Eau Claire and there were bankers, judges, and newspaper editors who could act like a spokesman for their communities and be a contact and liaison. Although possessing no legal authority, the committee reflected the views of the people served by the University and who could interpret issues regarding higher education to their fellow citizens. After the creation of the University of Wisconsin System, the committee was replaced by the Citizen Advisory Committee in 1974.