University of Wisconsin System leaders are continuing to travel throughout Wisconsin to build stronger connections between businesses, citizens and higher education.
UW System President Ray Cross and UW-Madison Chancellor Rebecca Blank are both traveling throughout the state and holding outreach programs as they stopped in Green Bay Tuesday, Sept. 15 with more visits to resume in October.
Alex Hummel, UW System spokesperson, said Cross hopes to demonstrate how the scope of UW schools stretches beyond college campuses and serves the entirety of Wisconsin.
Cross is working to fulfill the needs of businesses and residents in order to develop a new strategic plan for the UW System, according to the UW System website. The website said direct input from community members will help the UW System administration develop a new strategic plan for the universities, one that will enable them to better meet the needs of Wisconsin now and into the future.
The UW System expects the new strategic plan to be introduced by spring of 2016, according to the website.
Hummel said the UW System’s strategic planning process is about having a vision for the future that reflects what citizens desire from the system.
“To serve the people of this state we need to understand what they want — what business leaders want, what community leaders want, what organizations … want, and, of course, what communities want,” Cross said in a video interview on the UW System website. “The university is a part of that.”
Hummel said Cross is in the process of holding 14 different listening sessions on nine UW campuses to get feedback from Wisconsin citizens and further develop the UW System’s strategic plan.
John Lucas, UW-Madison spokesperson, said Blank is also visiting communities outside Madison to hear firsthand what people think the university can do to help them.
“It’s a way for us to get outside of Dane County and into different communities around the state,” Lucas said.
So far, Blank visited Oshkosh Corporation, Wausau businesses and all 13 of the four-year UW campuses across Wisconsin, Lucas said.
Lucas said UW-Madison benefits from companies throughout Wisconsin because they employ the school’s interns and graduates, and UW-Madison’s research helps improve companies’ products in return.
Oshkosh Corporation employs nearly 100 UW-Madison graduates, according to UW-Madison University Communications.
The corporation won a multi-billion dollar contract to produce the next generation of Humvee Jeep the Department of Defense will purchase, Lucas said. UW-Madison College of Engineering developed computer modeling to help test how the vehicles would run under different terrains.
Lucas said Blank’s efforts are tied to building stronger support for UW-Madison by proving their value in Wisconsin. She hopes when the next budget cycle comes around, UW-Madison might see an increase in support or funding, rather than budget cuts, Lucas said.
Hummel said Cross’s goal is not only to prove the UW System is valuable to the state, but to listen to community members across Wisconsin. On his visits throughout Wisconsin, Cross meets with a wide variety of people, including experts in education, mayors and everyday citizens, Hummel said. He said Cross wants to make sure the initiatives he is developing align with the needs of all people.
“Their future is our future,” Hummel said. “We just have to make sure that we are on the same path.”
