Ray Cross proposes UW System reform

UW System President Ray Cross is calling for a series of internal reforms in the UW System, including an outside review of administrative operations and a thorough reexamination of student fees, as part of continuing efforts to more closely align the university with the needs of the state.

Cross presented his package of proposed reforms to the UW Board of Regents last Friday.

“We have started work on a new strategic plan for the UW System, but in the meantime, we continue to look for new reforms that we can accomplish on our own to heighten both our efficiency and our effectiveness while maintaining the quality of what we do,” Cross said.

Other reforms Cross is proposing include driving down the number of required credits to graduate; new approval processes for capital building projects; a review of electives and courses with lower enrollments; developing guidelines for non-instructional workloads; reforming the presidential, chancellor, and vice presidential search process; and creating a new system-wide hotline to report waste, fraud and abuse.

“Assuring the quality and affordability of a UW education for our students and their families is one of our top priorities,” Cross said.

Adding that a goal of reforms is to leverage the System’s resources, talent, and ideas to enhance investments in the classroom.

“Innovation and technology provide us with new opportunities to rethink how we do things,” Cross said. “We intend to work in collaboration with faculty and other stakeholders, including the Legislature, to ensure that any reforms we enact are done appropriately, effectively, and responsibly.”