On Sept. 5, UW System President Ray Cross visited UW-La Crosse to meet with members of the UW-L community. Cross held an open forum for faculty and staff in the morning, as well as an open forum for students in the afternoon.

Cross, who described his responsibilities as UW System President as “glorified custodial work,” cleaning up messes that other people make, was appointed in January  and is entering his first academic year with the title. Previously, Cross served as chancellor of the UW Colleges and UW Extension.

Cross admitted that there is a note of irony in his career as he has never been in support of systems.

“I’ve always thought they were encumbering and frustrating, as they mandated so many things and limited freedom to do things on campus. When I considered applying for the job I thought, ‘Well, you really think you can do that? You think you’re such a smart alec?’ But then I thought, ‘Maybe it’s time that I put up or shut up,’” he said.

Cross articulated that, throughout his career, he has learned that when systems operate well, they can be invaluable. His vision as System President is to unite Wisconsin institutions.

“If you look at all these individual institutions around the state, there are times when we need to be aligned in a collective fashion to impact things,” he stated. “Right now, the state needs us more than ever, and it doesn’t really know that.”

Students were armed with a myriad of questions for Cross, ranging from the System’s approach to remedial education at the college level to the presence of gender neutral housing on UW campuses.

One of the first topics on the table was that of the cost of education in and outside of Wisconsin. Cross acknowledged that the issue lies not only in tuition, but the expenses required for housing, meal plans and books. Using the tuition freeze as an example, he said that the System recognizes the economic strain on students and is very cautious about increasing costs. This stemmed discussion of the Walker administration’s removal of the Wisconsin Covenant and whether there might be legislation similar to the covenant in the future.

“I’m aware of some conversations, but whether that ends up being legislation, I don’t know. I doubt it,” he informed.

An issue that was particularly important to Cross is the country-wide trend of moving toward hiring more part-time faculty.

Cross expressed his displeasure with the idea, stating, “What separates American higher education from what happens elsewhere is that you build a relationship with faculty. The concept of an adjunct faculty is almost like a hired gun who comes in, teaches a class and then leaves.”

Cross went on to explain that he has a son who teaches philosophy, and “he does not view his job as being just the administrator.” Cross says his son is there to change lives, and he can only do that by being with his students for more than a class or two.