Each week The Spectator will showcase organizations, departments, majors or other aspects of UW-Eau Claire as a part of the centennial celebrations event known as “100 Reasons to Celebrate.”

#30 – Admissions

Admissions is often the first place students go when they are researching potential post-secondary schooling. This allows them to find information such as cost of tuition, details of the application process and whether or not the college or university has the programs they are looking for.

On Eau Claire’s website, prospective students can click on links that take them to pages on financial aid and scholarships, visit scheduling and information requests. The statistics on the page say:

– The average class size is 27 students.

– Zero classes are taught by teaching assistants.

– The ratio of students to teachers is 1:21.

Students are encouraged to find their “AND,” with opportunities in academics, extra-curriculars and travel experiences through study abroad and other faculty-led immersion programs.

For more information, visit the Admissions website.

#31 – Advising, Retention and Career Center

The Advising, Retention and Career Center, located in Room 2100 in the Old Library offers help to students who may be unsure of their path through post-secondary education.

Freshman can set up advising appointments in the center with one of 17 academic advisors. Older students are welcome as well but not required because they already have advisors outside of this office.

The goals of the AARC are to help students lay out their four-year plans, choose their majors and minors, and understand the Liberal Education and General Education tracks. While the university is in transition from GE to LE, current and future freshmen will be on the LE system.

From the AARC page, students can check out career services, which includes the Hire-a-Blugold portal or the Service Learning page.

#32 – Blugold Central

At the beginning of the 2016-2017 school year, a new office opened on Eau Claire’s campus, combining services originally provided by Records and Registration, Parking Services, the Business Office, Financial Aid and Continuing Education.

Now, all of these entities can be found in one central location in the Old Library. Blugold Central opened just in time for students to utilize during the 2016-2017 school year. The reason behind the creation of Blugold Central was to keep with the goal of giving students the best education with as little stress as possible, the website states.

Blugold Central published this video to give students more information about the office and what it can offer students. For more information and to find a complete list of available services, visit the Blugold Central website.

#33 – Continuing Education

Through Continuing Education (CE), business owners, students and community members alike can all learn something new. Regardless of student status, there are programs available for nearly everyone. CE uses the motto “connecting campus and community,” and with its vast array of options available to the public, it has the power to do just that. From an expressive drawing class to supervisory management courses to a one-day program on growing up transgender, people can meet their goals or learn something they never before considered.

On the CE website, people can look up programs based on needs they are looking to fulfill and/or interests they want to explore. While some classes are free, others have fees for registration, materials or credits.

For anyone who may want to try something new but is afraid it may not be worth the cost, CE has a satisfaction guaranteed refund policy, which means there’s virtually nothing to lose.

The Continuing Education Office is located in Room 11, Old Library. The office is open 8 a.m.-4 p.m.

Unmarked photos courtesy of Special Collections and Archives, McIntyre Library, UW-Eau Claire.