in the year 1964, the university of wisconsin colleges had a new separate unit: the university center system. for the center's final year at the vocational school, 89 freshman students became enrolled. during that same year, an agreement came upon both the university of wisconsin and the marinette county board of supervisors to build a campus on marinette. the faculty would be provided by the university and the buildings would be provided by the county. on october 12 of that same year, the 36 acres of the pine woods became the place for the construction for the campus. in 1965, the doors of the new faculty opened to welcome students of the 1965–66 academic year where 232 enrolled. in 1966, a two phase building program was authorized by the marinette county board of supervisors to expand the campus for a further enrollment capacity.