UW System President Raymond Cross
University of Wisconsin System President Ray Cross touches on policy issues, economic impact, tuition cost, and the number of Nobel Prizes connected to the university (18).
Despite the cost, Cross says, “of course” a college education is worth it. “College graduates earn more — considerably more — than their none college counterparts. In addition to that the unemployment rate for college graduates is roughly half of what it is for none-college graduates. There’s a definite distinguishing characteristic economically.”
Though, Cross says, its worth should not be measured solely by its economic value. He says, “It’s important to understand what it means to have an educated citizenry.” He says earnings are important, as well as economic impact on the family and state. Cross says he’s working to connect the UW system to the needs of corporations in Wisconsin. “I think it’s also important in the state of Wisconsin where we have about 150,000 to 170,000 vacant job positions right now, it’s important for the university to help develop high-impact talent to address some of those needs.”
Cross’s conversation was part of a series of interviews with university officials across the nation during a C-SPAN Bus Big Ten Tour of the universities of the Big Ten Conference.