Posted 4:20 p.m. Monday, June 29, 2015
President Barack Obama will visit UW-L Thursday, July 2, in the afternoon. It will be the first time a president has visited campus while in office.
President Barack Obama will visit UW-L Thursday, July 2, in the afternoon. It will be the first time a president has visited campus while in office.
President Obama will deliver remarks about the economy at the Recreational Eagle Center. The exact time of his remarks has yet to be announced. It will be the president's first visit to the La Crosse area since he was elected president in 2008. The president’s remarks will also be streamed live at whitehouse.gov/live.
“This is an historic opportunity for our UW-L community, and I know you will join me in welcoming President Obama and sharing a warm and friendly UW-L reception to his team and the nation!,” UW-L Chancellor Joe Gow said in a campus email.
To accommodate the visit, student leaders have approved the use of the REC, which means that the REC will be closed for regular use beginning at 6 p.m. Wednesday, July 1, and will reopen with its regular summer hours following the president's visit after 3 p.m. Thursday.
Tickets are free and open to the public
Campus community: UW-L has secured tickets specifically for the UW-L community. They will be distributed first come, first served from 2-4 p.m. Tuesday, June 30, at Port O'Call, Cartwright Center-Gunning Addition. Present a university ID to pick up one ticket per person. A line will start on the north side of Graff Main Hall. General public: Tickets will be available for the general public from 6-8 p.m. Tuesday, June 30, in Valhalla, Cartwright Center-Gunning Addition. A line will start on the State Street side of the building.Parking
Enter campus on East Ave and use campus parking facilities. ADA (American Disabilities Act) parking will be available off of La Crosse and 15th street. You must provide a vehicle placard.U.S. presidents and vice presidents who came to UW-La Crosse while in office or as candidates
- Sen. John F. Kennedy came to La Crosse State University as a presidential candidate Sept. 25, 1959.
- Bill Clinton appeared on campus as a former president Feb. 14, 2008. He also visited La Crosse as president Jan. 28, 1998.
- Al Gore has made four trips to La Crosse. He came to UW-L March 30, 1988, as a presidential candidate. As vice president, Gore accompanied President Clinton on his Jan. 28, 1998 visit. Vice President Gore came back to La Crosse as Democratic presidential nominee on Aug. 18, 2000.
- Vice President Joe Biden came to UW-L on Oct. 13, 2012
U.S. presidents and vice presidents who came to La Crosse while in office or as candidates
- President Grover Cleveland, Oct. 10 1887
- President Theodore Roosevelt, April 4, 1903
- President William Howard Taft, Sept. 17, 1909
- President Harry Truman, Nov. 3, 1949
- President Gerald Ford, March 27, 1976
- President Jimmy Carter, riding on the steamboat Delta Queen, passed La Crosse but did not stop. Aug. 19, 1979
- Republican Presidential nominee Ronald Reagan, Oct. 9, 1980
- President George H. Bush, Oct. 31, 1992
- Democratic Presidential nominee Barack Obama, Oct. 1, 2008