Reilly outlines priorities

In his inaugural address as president of the UW System on Sept. 16, Kevin P. Reilly outlined his immediate priorities for the UW System Board of Regents.

Reilly noted that he has already been visiting campuses throughout the state talking with students, faculty, staff and residents.

“I have come away from my visits and meetings feeling that there is strong consensus for the budget you passed last month,” Reilly told the regents. “The priorities we’ve identified — rebuilding quality, remaining competitive, keeping college affordable, maintaining and, we hope, enhancing access — resonate out there.”

Reilly outlined four priorities for his presidency this fall: to work with the governor and the state to increase “brain gain” and raise the percentage of Wisconsin residents with a college degree, to work more directly with the students of the UW System, to make the UW System’s operations more transparent and more efficient, and to be a strong ambassador and advocate for the UW System and its 15 institutions.

“I intend to eat a lot of ‘rubber chicken’ over the coming months as I talk about the UW and our priorities,” he said. “I pledge to be open and forthright with our colleagues in the press and I will hold regular sessions with our higher-education reporters to discuss what’s on my mind and theirs.”

Reilly characterized these as “Running Conversations With Reilly,” and he intends to take that to a literal level, inviting press members to join him in a monthly jog, during which they would have “unfettered, heavy-breathing access” to the president.

He inaugurated a new practice of webcasting the Board of Regents meetings so “people across the state can hear the business of the regents from meeting to meeting.”

The service is available at: http://www.uwex.edu/ics/stream/regents/meetings.

Reilly’s complete remarks can be found at: http://www.wisconsin.edu/news/2004/r040909a.htm.