University of Wisconsin-Madison Chancellor Rebecca Blank highlighted upcoming education initiatives on campus at the February Board of Regents meeting Thursday.
Though Blank noted she has only been serving in her position at UW-Madison for seven months, she said she believes to have seen improvements in recent efforts for undergraduate students.
Specifically, Blank cited the ongoing work with Madison Initiative for Undergrads, which aims to decrease the time to degree, and in turn, the money spent by students.
In order to ease some of these concerns, Blank said the university has expanded the advising services available to undergraduates, as well as the faculty positions associated with introductory classes.
With the work of Madison Initiative for Undergrads, the average year to graduate for undergraduate students is now 4.1 years, a decrease from the previous time of 4.4 years when the plan first started.
“We continue to have a ways to go with that,” Blank said. “I’m still not satisfied with where that number is, but we’re really moving in the right direction.”
Blank also expressed interest in implementing more technological initiatives on campus.
“One of the most exciting things about being in higher education these days is this incredible explosion in the ways of which we can use new technologies to deliver education,” Blank said.
The chancellor said the impact of technology can not only lead to more accessibility with classes, but also will serve as a means to put UW-Madison on the map among the other higher education universities.
Blank noted Massive Open Online Courses as a way to expand UW-Madison’s breadth of technology, as well as its touch on the rest of the world.
“This is a branding opportunity,” Blank said. “This is a way to take the university of Madison out entirely into the world.”
UW System President-Delegate Raymond Cross was also recognized for his selection in the new role by Board of Regents President Michael Falbo.
Cross said though he is overwhelmed at the endeavor ahead of him, he said he is excited to get to know all of the system’s campuses and begin listening to the needs of the universities and communities.
“I think we’re very good at lecturing; hopefully we can also be very good at listening,” Cross said.
