In his first Board of Regents meeting as University of Wisconsin System president, Raymond Cross articulated what he feels the System needs to strive for in order to become a more successful structure.
While Cross acknowledged he has only served in the new position for two and a half weeks, he said he is “energized by the passion, curiosity and commitment to the pursuit of knowledge” he sees in students, and wants to complement that with a matched level of devotion from the System.
Cross said to ensure the success of the UW System, it is important for the leaders to listen to students and the community, citing the importance of the System’s goal in its mission statement of improving the human condition.
“In the spirit of the Wisconsin Idea, we must honor the value of two-way dialogue about what this public university can and should be doing,” Cross said.
Another area Cross touched on is the need to provide more transparency to the public in terms of the budget and fiscal activities pertaining to the System.
Cross outlined three areas of focus in providing a more concrete outline of the System’s finances: giving a clearer sense of the breakdown of fund balances, creating a process of regular financial reporting outside of just a yearly presentation and redesigning the process currently in place for developing the System’s annual budget.
“If we can’t express and explain complex issues in a way that most people can understand them, then we need to try again, and keep trying until we find a way that works,” Cross said.
The Board of Regents will meet again in April to further discuss the budget process.
