This Saturday few students will notice when Ray Cross officially takes office as the ninth president of the University of Wisconsin System—even fewer students will realize the role of the presidency and how important it is for whomever holds it to be an understanding ally of this state’s students. However, The Daily Cardinal Editorial Board is supportive of the preliminary plans that Ray Cross has outlined and believes he is a wise choice to take over the UW System.
While this board found the lack of diversity among the three finalists, who were named for the presidency last fall, incredibly discouraging, we are happy with the choice of Ray Cross.
Still, it is worth noting that Cross has large shoes to fill. No one was too surprised to
hear of the departure of former System President Kevin Reilly last July—a lot happened during his tenure, good and bad. Most recently, state audits brought to light university surplus funds of nearly $1 billion, a large portion of which came from student tuition. However, this board also recognizes the continued success of Wisconsin students under the guidance of Reilly. Over his ten —year service, state general purpose revenue support behind the System budget decreased by over 30 percent. Still, over 250,000 University of Wisconsin degrees were granted during his tenure, with increases in the number of students of color on System campuses each year. We wish him well and are happy to see that he will soon spend a period teaching courses at UW-Madison. While we have no reason to believe the work of higher education institutions will get any easier, this board hopes Cross is prepared to serve in his role under critical watch and much less than ideal circumstances.
The beginnings of his interactions with the university community through speeches and interviews have so far been positive. We are encouraged to hear Cross prioritize listening as a pillar of his presidency and believe his claims of wanting to connect with everyone from students to state legislators, as well as Wisconsin residents, are genuine. Still, we have unanswered questions about how Cross plans to get these constituencies to listen and contribute to the conversation. We are apprehensive to rely solely on frequently under- attended listening sessions but are still hopeful his experience and name recognition might encourage good conversation.
Speaking of experience, this board considers it to be one of Cross’ shining attributes. His time as chancellor of University of Wisconsin Colleges and University of Wisconsin-Extension provides a strong background in the current climate surrounding higher education in Wisconsin, as well as the more technical intricacies of the shared governance process unique to our state. We are happy to say that Cross seems aware of this advantage and ready to embrace his new role quickly.
As students, the members of this board are pleased to hear of Cross’ commitment to improving college affordability. We are hopeful that his aim to increase financial aid resources while decreasing the time to graduate will create a more manageable college experience for UW System students.
We are also fully supportive of his desire to spread the importance of the University of Wisconsin throughout the state, from the average citizen up to our state senators and representatives. The UW System provides an enormous economic engine for our state, and this board worries that fact has been lost on many due to recent clashes between System leadership and those at the state Capitol. We hope Cross’ collaborative relationship with Gov. Scott Walker nurtured during the creation of the UW Flex Option can be used as a building block to help repair the broken trust between the university and our state government. Additionally, we are hoping Cross’ pledge to remain transparent, especially with regard to System finances, will avoid future collisions.
Cross’ prior experience working in the System also gives him insider knowledge of each of the 26 unique higher education institutions offered by our state, as well as UW-Extension. We are in agreement with Cross when he says one model does not fit every Wisconsin university and are excited to see the potential behind his efforts to create a stronger UW System through diversity of approach.
This board believes there is much to look forward to as Cross takes office. However, we caution him not to fall prey to complacency disguised as adjustment, often a hindrance to those taking over new positions like UW-Madison Chancellor Rebecca Blank. Due to his experience in the UW System and established goals, we expect Cross to hit the ground running come Saturday. We wish him the best of luck and look forward to seeing what he has to offer the students of Wisconsin.
How do you feel about the new president of the University of Wisconsin System? What are some ways that you think Ray Cross can help not only UW-Madison but the UW System as a whole? Please send all feedback to opinion@dailycardinal.com.
