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Quick facts about the CNR

Dean: Christine Thomas
Associate Dean for Academic Affairs: John Houghton
Associate Dean for Outreach & Extension: Randy Champeau

  • Mission and Philosophy
  • 1946 - Began as the nation's first conservation education major.
  • 1970 - College formally established.
  • Three field stations:
    • Treehaven Field Station - 1,400 acres near Tomahawk, Wisconsin, with a year-round conference center; site of the College's required 6-week summer camp, as well as numerous short courses throughout the year.
    • Central Wisconsin Environmental Station (CWES) - 300 acres on Sunset Lake (17 miles east of campus) with a year-round conference and environmental education center.
    • Schmeeckle Reserve - 275 acres adjacent to the UW-SP campus with a nature reserve and city park extension, field laboratory for UW-SP classes, Interpretive Center, hiking trails and the Wisconsin Conservation Hall of Fame.
  • Leading undergraduate natural resources program in the United States.
  • Ideally located within an ecologically diverse, centrally located area of the state.
  • Surrounding area includes 160,000 acres of forest land, 32,000 acres of wetlands, 31,000 acres of public lands within a 20-mile radius of campus, 64 streams and 135 lakes.
  • 1,342 undergraduate majors; 150 undergraduate minors; 120 graduate students.
  • Over 130 faculty and staff.
  • Over one third of the faculty have received the coveted Excellence in Teaching Award at UWSP
  • International study programs in Africa, Costa Rica, Europe, Mexico, Nicaragua and South Pacific.
  • Student Success Center - a "one-stop" center for CNR student information and services, including the CNR Peer Advising Program, a Career Library, and the CNR Information Center, which handles scholarship applications and admissions to the summer sessions in Europe and Treehaven.
  • Student Mentoring Network - an on-line network of CNR alumni who have volunteered to provide counsel and advice on employment choices, vocational advancement, occupational outlooks and other career-related questions for CNR students.
  • CNR faculty generated $7.3 million in grants in 2004, comprising 85% of the total earned by the UWSP campus.
  • High placement of graduates: 91% (79% placement in field, 12% seek graduate study.)
  • 21 student professional organizations with over 1,000 active members.
  • Over 200 scholarships awarded annually, totaling over $200,000.
  • 107 internships with 49 partnering public and private agencies throughout the United States provide invaluable work experiences for students with a total payroll of $404,162 (2002).
  • Integrated core curriculum: Forestry, Human Dimensions of Natural Resource Management, Soil and Waste Resources, Water Resources, and Wildlife.
  • The Paper Science and Engineering Department features a fully operational paper machine that provides real-world training for students.  The machine represents over $3 million in investment and in-kind support from private industry.
  • Students may choose from nineteen majors and thirteen minors within six disciplines/departments.