University of Wisconsin System President Ray Cross says he’s forming a business council made up of “key business and industry leaders from around the state,” ideally from an array of economic sectors.
The concept was born from a series of listening sessions school officials held this year.
UW System spokeswoman Stephanie Marquis said the state’s workforce is shrinking and aging while its birth rate is declining.
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“I really think that business leaders understand that and want to help advocate on our behalf,” she said. “Especially at this time when we’ve suffered such great cuts to our budget. They’re really out there trying to help explain the value of the system.”
Marquis said organizations like the Mayo Clinic told school officials they expect to be hiring: “They need to bring in 100 new positions every year for the next 20 years. So they really talked about that businesses are looking at the UW System as a source of talent, a source of ideas, a source of research.”
Marquis emphasized that council members won’t act as lobbyists.
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