UW System Seeks Public Input On Strategic Plan Updates

University of Wisconsin officials want the public’s help in crafting a new strategic plan for the universities and colleges around the state.

UW System President Ray Cross said they need a more focused, long-term plan that’s responsive to the needs of the state’s residents, businesses, communities and organizations.

System officials plan to host listening sessions on campuses across the state to hear what people want from faculty, students, and research.

“We need to listen more carefully. We need to understand better,” Cross said. “We need to share the same goals, aspirations, or dreams that the people of this state have for their future, because we are inextricably interwoven into their future.”

Cross also said the university can play a bigger role in retaining recent graduates and attracting younger workers to the state. He said Wisconsin is losing up to 14,000 graduates annually and an increasingly aging workforce.

“I think the university can play a major role in helping to attract talent and retain college graduates throughout the state in partnership with business,” said Cross. “That’s an important element, not just for the economy of the state, but to better position the state in a better place for the future.”

Cross said he wants participants at the listening events to tell officials what their communities and businesses will need in the next five or 10 years.

The first strategic plan listening session will be held in La Crosse Tuesday, with an RSVP required from interested participants.