High atop Van Hise Hall, with a picturesque view of Lake Mendota in the background, recently-appointed UW System president Kevin Reilly met with members of student media from around the state Friday in an effort to maintain open lines of communication.
\We try to be as open as possible with the press in general and the student press in particular and have some sessions like this where people can come in and ... see what's on my mind and report on it as [they] like,"" he said.
Reilly said in a Sept. 9 speech to the UW Board of Regents a top priority must be to share the importance of work happening within the university, according to his Web site.
""A lot of people think that the UW System is this sort of black box,"" said Doug Bradley, Regents spokesperson. ""He wanted to demystify that.""
Reilly outlined his three missions of teaching, research and outreach, and public service Friday, but stressed the core was always in teaching.
""Our number one priority is always to make sure we're doing a good job with our undergraduate education and we're producing folks who come off our campuses ready to contribute to the state and ready to exercise their talents in the service of society,"" he said.
Reilly also discussed the rising tuition at the UW System schools, stressing how state budget cuts passed by the Wisconsin Legislature have inevitably led to increased tuition.
""There's a very close correlation between the withdrawal of state tax support for the university and rising tuition,"" he said. ""We want to talk about that with our political leaders and we have begun to do that.""
Reilly emphasized the importance of students and their families making their voices heard regarding tuition.
""If [the state legislators] don't hear from you about this, guess what's going to happen,"" he said, referring to further potential tuition hikes.
Reilly said the university will work with legislators and will attempt to appeal to them on an economic level, discussing how states that have a larger proportion of degree-holders also have a larger per-capita income.
He also talked about a financial aid package, proposed in September's budget meeting, specifically directed toward students coming from families with an annual income of $40,000 or less.
According to Bradley, Reilly would like to continue conferences like the one held Friday, and intends to do so on a regular basis, meeting as often as once a month.
