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Reilly talks of new growth in teleconference

In a teleconference with student journalists across the University of Wisconsin System Tuesday, President Kevin Reilly outlined his recent activities and initiatives for the future, including a new center focusing on entrepreneurial growth.

The system head discussed a recent report from the Committee on Baccalaureate Expansion. The president expressed the importance in extending a hand to adult and place-bound adult students, as well as technical colleges.

Reilly recently returned from touring with Gov. Jim Doyle to promote a new program giving $5 million to set up centers focusing on entrepreneurial growth. The program encourages the starting of new businesses, growth in resources and the WiSys technology foundation.

“[It will] attempt to pull together a lot of the functions [of the UW System],” Reilly said. “[It will] help the state develop the jobs of the future.”

Reilly also discussed the recent biosciences initiative Doyle proposed for the Madison campus. In the proposal, the governor pledged $750 million over several years to develop facilities and retain faculty. Reilly said these initiatives were only partly in response to California’s recent $3 billion pledge to further stem-cell research, noting the initiative was mainly a “reaffirmation that Wisconsin has that kind of strength already.”

“Wisconsin leads the world in groundbreaking biomedical research, but we need to continue to move forward,” Doyle said in a release. “The state, in partnership with the University and our other private partners, has an aggressive and comprehensive strategy to ensure that we remain at the forefront not only of scientific discoveries, but of creating thousands of new high-tech jobs.”

The president also commented on the possible creation of an executive vice-president position. The executive vice-president position would free some of Reilly’s time from day-to-day internal operation and open it to allow for a more statewide presence.

“I think the UW System needs to be out and around the state advocating. I need to do more of that,” Reilly said. “There is a need for the president to make value positions around the state.”

The president delved deeply into the issue of the Board of Regents’ recent early state exercises in creating a 2005-07 budget for the UW System. Reilly said he feels the financial-aid package is one of the most important aspects of the budget.

“I think the financial-aid piece goes to the heart of who we are,” he said.

Reilly also said the budget’s other important proposals include those targeting adult training, retaining faculty positions, building economy and infrastructure and using technical colleges within the UW System.

According to Reilly, UW has a delicate balance to maintain in raising or lowering costs within the budget.

“[We need to] educate the greatest number of students with the greatest amount of quality,” Reilly said.

Reilly also outlined several dilemmas regarding raising new funds for the UW System budget. He said much of the money entering the UW System is acquired through research projects, while faculties draw in an average of $300,000.

“However, there are some bedrock disciplines [that are] not able to draw in large amounts of money,” Reilly said, listing the liberal arts and humanities as examples. “We don’t want to hollow out the core.”

In 1999 students protested the increase in tuition and forced a tuition freeze. Some questioned Reilly on the possible results of such a protest at UW System schools.

“Any action in this form has a consequent reaction,” Reilly said. “You have to again balance off those kinds of [issues].”

However, Reilly added students have made a conscious decision and want the best faculty teaching them.