University of Wisconsin System President Ray Cross took to C-SPAN Tuesday to highlight the importance of a college degree.
Cross, speaking on C-SPAN’s 2014 Big Ten Bus Tour, said those with college degree will earn significantly more than those without — and pointed to the UW System’s role in ensuring more people get degrees.
“In the state of Wisconsin, we have about 150,000 to 170,000 vacant job positions now, and it is important for the university to help develop high-impact talent to address some of these needs,” Cross said.
Watch President @RayWCross' entire @cspanwj interview here: http://t.co/lr7I2MJMBO pic.twitter.com/RXnz7jNI9R
— Universities of Wisconsin (@UniversitiesWI) September 16, 2014
Cross addressed college affordability, raising concerns about the growing student debt numbers. He said the UW System has been working with lawmakers and the governor’s office to boost financial aid for students, hoping to increase the number of students who can receive financial aid.
The UW System has asked Gov. Scott Walker for a funding increase for financial aid in his next budget, which Walker has said will extend the current two-year tuition freeze.
Cross also highlighted the UW System’s new online flexible option degree mostly aimed at the roughly 1 million adults in Wisconsin with work experience but no college degree. The program counts past knowledge like skills adults learned on the job towards the degree if they pass assessments.
“We want to be able to serve them with the kind of experience they need at that point in their life,” Cross said. “I think that will ultimately have a huge impact and them and people throughout the state.”
The students who take part in the program will be able to access financial aid, following the U.S. Department of Education’s recent approval.
Interview pre-game on the @cspan bus this morning outside the Memorial Union at @UWMadison pic.twitter.com/zH8jXsOQxd
— Universities of Wisconsin (@UniversitiesWI) September 16, 2014
When asked about graduation rates at the UW System, Cross said about 60 percent of students graduate in six years across the system, with the UW-Madison campus seeing rates closer to 70 or 80 percent.
“We’re working very hard to [improve] that,” Cross said. “That time to degree not only saves a student and their family money, it also gets them into the workplace quicker, and it’s something we want to do not only to make it affordable but to make it grow in the state of Wisconsin.”
Watch the video here:
