News 2015

December 17, 2015

UW System President Ray Cross “Today’s Congressional action represents a major victory for students and families who have come to rely on Perkins loans as part of the array of financial aid support that make the pursuit and attainment of a UW System degree a reality. Approximately 16,000 UW System students benefit annually from $29 million

December 11, 2015

MADISON, Wis. – The University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents voted Friday to reaffirm its commitment and support for the principles of academic freedom and freedom of expression. In an opening statement, UW System President Ray Cross reminded Regents that the University of Wisconsin’s longstanding and vigorous support of the principle that “learning communities

December 11, 2015

Report by President Ray Cross to the Board of Regents UW-Madison student Colin Higgins is one of only 32 students nationwide to win a Rhodes Scholarship, funding two to three years of study at England’s Oxford University. The prestigious honor is the oldest international study program in the world. Higgins, of Middleton, Wis., completed his

December 10, 2015

MADISON – The University of Wisconsin System needs to proactively do more to connect its graduates with career options and opportunities with Wisconsin businesses, UW System President Ray Cross told a committee at Thursday’s Board of Regents meeting. All UW campuses are becoming more highly focused on helping students make important connections with partners outside

December 10, 2015

MADISON, Wis. – University of Wisconsin System President Ray Cross today announced the names of the finalists for the position of Vice President for Academic and Student Affairs for the UW System. The finalists, who were identified through a national search process, will be interviewed in Madison December 17. The search-and-screen committee is chaired by

December 3, 2015

MADISON, Wis. – With a listening session tour of the state complete, Phase Two of the University of Wisconsin System’s strategic planning process is about to launch, and, once again, it is driven by public input. Today, the UW System is launching an open, online survey gauging public opinion on the common ideas identified through

December 2, 2015

MADISON, Wis. – Aiming to enhance students’ college readiness and reduce the need for developmental or remedial education, more than 90 high school teachers, counselors, principals, and others from around the state have registered for each of the new College Readiness Webinars. The online webinars, jointly presented by the University of Wisconsin System and the

November 11, 2015

MADISON, Wis. – The University of Wisconsin System announced that starting today it will begin accepting applications from campuses for UW VETS Certification, officially recognizing their exceptional commitment to helping student veterans succeed. The University of Wisconsin VETS (Veterans Education and Transition to Success) Certification highlights campuses that go above and beyond in a wide

November 4, 2015

MADISON – The Alliant Energy Foundation and the University of Wisconsin System recognized the outstanding achievements of four UW System students and three UW System teachers at an Oct. 30 awards presentation in Madison. “Congratulations to this year’s award recipients,” said UW System President Ray Cross. “We are proud to partner with Alliant Energy to

October 13, 2015

“We take the safety of our campus communities very seriously and know that our legislative partners do as well. We have significant concerns and questions with this proposal and cannot currently support it. We are, however, actively engaged in a dialogue with the legislative authors, Regents, and campus police professionals to ensure our concerns are

October 9, 2015

MADISON – The University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents today voted to waive the existing limit on the number of out-of-state students at UW-Madison. For four years starting next fall, the UW System’s flagship campus will be able to accept more out-of-state undergraduates – but must also assure that the incoming freshman class enrolls

October 9, 2015

Report by President Ray Cross to the Board of Regents   Four UW-Platteville students got to travel “down under,” after they earned the right to compete on the U.S. team in the Australian Collegiate Crops Contest in September. This three-day contest was held on the east coast of Australia. The UW-Platteville students, all from Wisconsin,

October 8, 2015

MADISON – University of Wisconsin System President Ray Cross told the Board of Regents today that the UW System’s program revenue fund balance at the end of fiscal year 2015 was $923.9 million – a 15.7 percent decrease from two years ago. That balance is further projected to drop to $690 million by the end

September 30, 2015

“The expiration of the Federal Perkins Loan Program today is a loss for students in the University of Wisconsin System and across the United States. The Perkins program had a long and successful track record in making higher education both more accessible and affordable for so many students with financial need. In 2013-14, nearly 16,000

September 14, 2015

MADISON – The University of Wisconsin System continues its series of strategic planning listening sessions, scheduled throughout the state, at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay on Tuesday, Sept. 15. UW System President Ray Cross will be on hand to welcome participants to two UW-Green Bay listening sessions Sept. 15: Education Session 1:30 p.m., Phoenix Room

September 11, 2015

WHITEWATER – The University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents weighed in on a bill currently moving through the state legislature that could potentially impose restrictions on research involving use of fetal tissue. While Board leadership opted not to pass any resolutions at this time, noting that the current AB 305 could still see significant

September 11, 2015

Report by President Ray Cross to the Board of Regents UW-Parkside reports that Milwaukee Bucks President Peter Feigin will serve as Executive in Residence later this month. Mr. Feigin was closely involved in the debate and negotiations that resulted in funding to build a new multi-purpose sports arena in downtown Milwaukee. Mr. Feigin will take

September 10, 2015

WHITEWATER – The University of Wisconsin System, which was the first statewide system of higher education in the nation to issue an annual accountability report back in 1993, is officially entering the “digital age of accountability.” A new online, interactive UW System Accountability Dashboard was unveiled Thursday at the Board of Regents meeting hosted by

August 31, 2015

MADISON – The University of Wisconsin System kicks off its series of strategic planning listening sessions, scheduled throughout the state, at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse on Tuesday, Sept. 1. UW System President Ray Cross will be on hand to welcome participants to two UW-L listening sessions on Tuesday: Health Session 1:30 p.m., Great Hall

August 27, 2015

“We appreciate the support of the Wisconsin Technology Council. Its members recognize the critical roles UW System institutions play in strengthening the economic vitality of this state. We know there are community stakeholders, families, and businesses throughout Wisconsin that, like the Council, place a high priority on the preparation and success of our graduates, innovative

August 24, 2015

MADISON – The University of Wisconsin System is hitting the road to listen to the people. As part of developing a new strategic plan, the University is asking for input on how the UW System can be even more responsive to the needs of Wisconsin and its residents. At 14 listening sessions to be held

August 19, 2015

  MADISON, Wis. – The University of Wisconsin System has announced the 17 recipients of the 2015 Outstanding Women of Color in Education Award, an annual honor given to faculty, staff, students, or community members to recognize their contributions to diversity and the status of women within the UW System. This year marks the 20th

August 19, 2015

MADISON, Wis. – The University of Wisconsin System has announced the 2015 recipients of the Dr. P.B. Poorman Award for Outstanding Achievement on Behalf of LGBTQ People. The P.B. Poorman Award was established to publicly recognize UW System faculty, staff, students, or community members for their excellence in advocacy, research, teaching, or service on behalf

July 27, 2015

“One of our top priorities is providing more students easier access to an affordable, quality higher education. Making income data available earlier and more accessible for families— particularly families with low-income and first-generation students—gives them the time, support, and confidence they need to make one of the most important decisions and investments of their lives.”

July 12, 2015

Our efforts during the last six months required a commitment to listening, to partnership and to reform. We carry those values with us going forward. We thank legislators for their collaborative spirit and willingness to continue an important dialogue. We did not agree on everything, but we solidified a new partnership during the conversation. We

July 9, 2015

MADISON – The University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents voted 15-2 Thursday to approve a $6.194 billion annual operating budget for 2015-16 that includes significant reductions in fund balances. “We are allocating roughly $180 million from fund balances to bring this budget into balance,” UW System President Ray Cross told the Board. “It is

July 8, 2015

We greatly appreciate the support of Sen. Petrowski and all of the Senate members who voted in support of making $25 million of the UW System funding reduction a lapse. This will significantly improve the fiscal condition of our campuses into the future. It is one more demonstration of how our new partnership with the

June 5, 2015

MILWAUKEE – The University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents on Friday unanimously passed a resolution to move language concerning tenure as it currently exists in state statute into Regent policy. That policy, which will take effect if related state statutes are repealed as proposed, will sunset on the date the Board adopts a long-term

June 5, 2015

MILWAUKEE, Wis. – By unanimous vote, Regent Regina Millner of Madison was today elected President of the University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents, and Regent John Behling of Eau Claire was elected to serve as Vice President of the Board. Both positions have a one-year term. First appointed to the Board in 2012, Millner’s

June 5, 2015

Report by President Ray Cross to the Board of Regents More than 50 volunteers came to Memorial Park at UW-Platteville recently to plant 4,000 seedlings. You will recall that it was just about a year ago that an EF-2 tornado swept through the park, as well as the campus and the city of Platteville, destroying

June 4, 2015

MILWAUKEE – While budget debates may sometimes test civility and threaten to divide people, UW System President Ray Cross called for looking at the big picture. “At the end of the day, we are all yearning for a future Wisconsin that’s not repeatedly and always focusing on how to defend our budget, but how to

June 1, 2015

MADISON, Wis. – The University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents will honor this year’s recipients of the Academic Staff Awards for Excellence at its regular board meeting June 5 in Milwaukee. This is the UW System’s highest recognition bestowed on members of its academic staff. “This year’s award winners exemplify the commitment and far-reaching

May 29, 2015

“We appreciate the Joint Finance Committee’s action today and the spirit of collaboration we have developed with its members and the legislature. With President Cross’s leadership, this new sense of partnership has helped us get to where we are today. It has also set a new standard and tone for how we can best serve

May 29, 2015

“When the Governor released his budget in January, the leadership of UW System and the Board of Regents spoke with one voice and immediately expressed our commitment to uphold the tenets of shared governance and tenure. Whether these important policies continued in statute or Board policy, we vowed they would live on. “We remain as

May 29, 2015

“Today’s proposed action by the Joint Finance Committee represents a significant reduction in the cut to the UW System. I want to express my gratitude to these legislators as well as the others who have worked to reduce the cut and provide the System with needed flexibilities. “I know this has been a difficult budget

May 26, 2015

MADISON, Wis. – Beverly A. Kopper has been named the next chancellor of the University of Wisconsin–Whitewater. The University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents today approved Kopper’s appointment, following the recommendation made by a selection committee. Kopper will step into her new leadership post on July 1, 2015. Kopper has served as provost and

May 18, 2015

MADISON, Wis. – University of Wisconsin System President Raymond Cross has announced three undergraduate student winners of the annual UW System Liberal Arts Essay Scholarship Competition. Now in its 10th year, the competition was established to support and promote student learning and liberal education throughout the state’s public university system. This year’s essay prompt invited

May 1, 2015

MADISON, Wis. – University of Wisconsin System President Ray Cross today announced five finalists for the position of chancellor at UW-Whitewater. A 21-member search and screen committee, chaired by Dr. Paul Ambrose, an Associate Professor of Information Technology and Supply Chain Management, recommended the slate of finalists to Cross and a special committee of the

April 20, 2015

The impact of exercise on balance in the aging population. The blurring line between human and artificial intelligence. The value of opera-outreach to young children getting their first taste of the genre and maybe even theatre itself. Those are just three of the undergraduate research and scholarly topics among the dozens that University of Wisconsin

April 16, 2015

MADISON, Wis. – Faculty leaders will work with educators across the University of Wisconsin System and the country to make student learning outcomes and proficiencies key measures of student success, leading to students who are better prepared for lives of work, civic engagement, and personal and social responsibility. Six UW System faculty members have been

April 13, 2015

The Governor’s errata makes a number of welcome corrections to his budget proposal, including several key aspects of the public authority proposal and the preservation of the Wisconsin Idea. We appreciate his willingness to address these items. We are working with the legislature in a new spirit of openness, dialogue, and partnership to reduce the

April 10, 2015

WAUKESHA – To bring its rates closer to competitive market rates, the University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents on Friday ratified targeted tuition increases for non-resident, graduate, and professional programs at selected institutions. At the meeting hosted by UW-Waukesha, the Regents approved tuition increases in selected non-resident, graduate, and professional programs at eight institutions:

April 10, 2015

At this time, I’d like to share some news from around the UW System. There is a lot of good work being done, and we all can take pride in that. Researchers at UW-River Falls are advancing the field of cancer research. Biology professor and Regent Scholar Timothy Lyden’s project builds a “living biopsy” of

April 9, 2015

WAUKESHA – University of Wisconsin System President Ray Cross told the Board of Regents Thursday that there is significant momentum in UW System Administration and legislative efforts to seek a reduction in the Governor’s proposed budget cut and growing support for a dedicated funding structure. “I think we’re on the right track,” Cross said. The

March 24, 2015

MADISON, Wis. – The University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents will honor two professors and one academic program for their outstanding achievements in teaching, when they bestow the UW System’s highest recognition for members of its faculty and academic staff on April 10. “These outstanding teachers set an especially high bar for innovation and

March 20, 2015

UW System President Ray Cross is hitting the road in the weeks ahead, engaging students, staff and faculty at 11 UW institutions around Wisconsin in conversations about the state budget process and the UW System’s future. The series of campus conversations will stretch into early April. “At each of these meetings, the first order of

March 10, 2015

MADISON – The University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents voted unanimously Thursday to support a resolution calling for the legislature to substantially reduce the proposed base funding cuts to the UW System recommended in the Governor’s budget. The resolution further requested that the legislature grant long-sought flexibilities to the System, including a dedicated funding

March 3, 2015

University of Wisconsin System President Ray Cross testified before the state Legislature’s Joint Committee on Finance Tuesday, requesting that members approve the UW System Authority and a dedicated funding stream in Governor Scott Walker’s 2015-17 proposed budget while working with UW System and institutional leaders to reduce a proposed state funding cut. “This budget moves

February 25, 2015

MADISON – With transfers an increasingly standard part of the university experience, the University of Wisconsin System is hosting a symposium Thursday in Wisconsin Dells to examine current practices as well as new ideas and solutions to support student transfers across Wisconsin’s higher education sectors. The UW System Transfer Symposium: Unwrapping the Orthodoxies of Transfer

February 25, 2015

Public higher education in Wisconsin has always kept a strong focus on the future. That is why it is encouraging to me to see the elements in Governor Scott Walker’s budget proposal that reinforce UW System’s concentration on and commitment to shaping our identity of tomorrow while we deal with the challenges of today. The

February 6, 2015

MADISON – The University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents honored the seventh annual winners of its Regents’ Diversity Awards today in Madison. The awards were established by the Board to recognize and support individuals and programs in the UW System that foster access and success in university life for historically underrepresented populations. See the

February 6, 2015

At this time, I want to take a brief moment to share some of the good work that students, faculty, and staff are doing around the UW System: UW-La Crosse has once again been named in the top 100 Best Value colleges by Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine. The ranking doesn’t just recognize low cost, but

February 5, 2015

MADISON – The Governor’s proposed biennial state budget offers new identity and opportunity for the University of Wisconsin System, UW System President Ray Cross told the Board of Regents  Thursday. It also presents serious and significant challenges. As spelled out by the Governor earlier this week, the budget includes proposals to provide the university with

February 4, 2015

UW System President Ray Cross is sharing a brief statement following his earlier statement today regarding the Wisconsin Idea and in response to Governor Walker’s announcement that related, key language from statutes will be preserved. “Thanks to the Governor for his commitment to the Wisconsin Idea.” Related Links Legislative Fiscal Bureau – Info Papers Joint

February 4, 2015

The University of Wisconsin System releases the following statement from UW System President Ray Cross: “The Wisconsin Idea is embedded in our DNA. It is so much more than words on a page. It is the reason the UW System exists. It defines us and forever will distinguish us as a great, public university. Wisconsin

February 3, 2015

In response to Governor Walker’s announcement today regarding his proposed 2015-17 budget, the University of Wisconsin System is sharing the following statement from UW System President Ray Cross: “As part of his budget proposal, the Governor has embraced the idea of designating the UW System as a public authority. Increased autonomy and flexibility will allow

January 30, 2015

MADISON, Wis. – The University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents will honor the seventh annual winners of its Regents’ Diversity Awards on Feb. 6 in Madison. The awards program was established by the Board to recognize and support individuals and programs in the UW System that foster access and success in university life for

January 27, 2015

In response to Governor Walker’s announcement this morning regarding the proposed University of Wisconsin System budget for the 2015-17 biennium, the UW System is sharing the following statements from leadership: Ray Cross, President, University of Wisconsin System The state of Wisconsin clearly is facing some very difficult budget challenges, and the University of Wisconsin System,

January 20, 2015

MADISON – Five recipients of the new Regent Scholar awards will be honored by the Research, Economic Development, and Innovation (REDI) Committee at the University of Wisconsin Board of Regents’ February 5 meeting in Madison. The UW System Regent Scholar program was introduced last fall to recognize and reward innovative faculty-student research and to provide

January 8, 2015

MADISON – Alex Hummel has been named Associate Vice President for Communications with the University of Wisconsin System Administration (UWSA). UW System Vice President for University Relations James Villa announced the appointment today. In his role, Hummel will provide administrative oversight of the UWSA communications staff and help lead and coordinate UW System’s strategic communications

January 7, 2015

MADISON – University of Wisconsin System President Ray Cross has appointed a 21-member search and screen committee to help identify a successor to UW-Whitewater Chancellor Richard Telfer, who announced on November 17 that he will step down as of June 30, 2015. Cross appointed 11 UW-Whitewater faculty members, two academic staff members, two classified staff