Wayne State University

Leonard Woodcock played an important role in the development of Wayne State University. Established as a state university in 1956, UAW Vice-President Woodcock was a member of Wayne State University's first elected Board of Governors three years later. He would remain a board member for eleven years, serving as chair for five years.

Woodcock resigned his position as a WSU governor following his election as UAW President in 1970, but he continued his association with the University. He oversaw a UAW gift to the University that funded the construction of the Walter P. Reuther Library of Labor and Urban Affairs. Opened in 1975, the Library is now the largest research institution in the United States dedicated to preserving the historical record of the American labor movement.

To honor their fifth president, the UAW donated funds to the University for the construction of an addition to the Walter Reuther Library. The Leonard Woodcock Wing opened in 1991.