Raymond Cross
Following a nationwide search, the University of Wisconsin System has named a new president. The UW Board of Regents on Thursday selected Raymond Cross as their choice to become the System’s seventh president.
Cross was one of three finalists for the job and has served as the chancellor of UW Colleges and UW Extension since 2011. He will replace Kevin Reilly, who stepped down as system president at the end of last year to take a job as an advisor for the American Council on Education.
Prior to coming to Wisconsin, the 66-year-old Cross served as the president of Morrisville State College in New York and as president of Northwest Technical College in Bemidji, MN. During his time with the UW System, he played a key role in the development of the UW System’s new Flexible Degree option, which launched late last year.
In a statement, Regent President Michael Falbo, who chaired the selection committee, said Cross “brings both outside perspective and inside expertise. He has led one of our largest UW institutions, so he knows how things work, and I am confident that he will hit the ground running. At the same time, the majority of his experience is elsewhere, so he brings fresh insights and many innovative ideas.”
Cross will officially begin serving in his new job in mid-February at a salary of $525,000.