UW-System President Kevin Reilly announces his resignation
MADISON (WITI) -- University of Wisconsin System President Kevin Reilly on Tuesday, July 30th announced he will leave the UW System to advise the American Council on Education in January 2014, and return to teaching.
Regent President Michael Falbo credited Reilly with being a “strong, effective leader for the UW System” as it grew to serve more than 182,000 students statewide.
In his new role as Presidential Advisor for Leadership, Reilly will work closely with ACE President Molly Corbett Broad to expand the capacity and reach of the Council's wide array of programs that serve college and university presidents and chancellors as well as other senior leaders and rising administrators.
“As the academic and financial platforms of American higher education morph beneath us, leaders of the future will need a new set of skills and attitudes to move higher education forward, while preserving its best traditions,” Reilly said. “I look forward to partnering with President Broad and ACE to contribute to the development of that new leadership cadre.”
ACE is the nation’s most visible and influential higher education association. It represents the interests of the presidents of U.S. accredited, degree-granting institutions.
Reilly, 63, was appointed to the UW System’s top post in September 2004, leading a system that includes two doctoral universities, 11 comprehensive universities, 13 freshman-sophomore UW Colleges, and the statewide outreach networks of UW-Extension. He served as Chancellor of UW-Extension from 2000 through 2004, after serving as that institution’s Provost and Vice Chancellor for four years.
Earlier, in New York, Reilly worked closely with leaders in two other large public systems, the State University of New York and the City University of New York, as well as in the Empire State's vast array of independent colleges and universities.
Reilly thanked faculty and staff on system campuses and staff in UW System Administration for their dedication.
Reilly will continue as UW System’s chief executive through the end of the calendar year. After making the transition to ACE as a part-time consultant, he will also take on a part-time teaching role in the UW System.
Falbo announced that work has already begun to prepare for a national presidential search to identify Reilly’s successor. He expects to name a special Regent selection committee and a larger search-and-screen committee in the coming weeks. The goal is to name a successor by the spring of 2014.
Gov. Scott Walker released the following statement on Reilly's resignation:
"The state of Wisconsin has deep respect and gratitude for President Reilly’s contributions to the UW System, including his work to focus the university’s attention on economic and workforce development. He initiated conversations with the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation leading to a very promising partnership with the UW System. I also appreciate the leadership he has provided for the innovative UW Flexible Option, which will enhance college access for working adults."
Reilly recently faced some criticism after it was discovered in April, following a review by the Legislative Audit Bureau that the UW System had been sitting on a surplus -- with a positive balance of hundreds of millions of dollars.
This, after Reilly called for tuition hikes last year, due to state budget cuts.
Reilly then faced a panel of outraged lawmakers at the State Capitol in April, where lawmakers questioned him as to how the UW System has a $650 million surplus at a time when students are being asked to pay more.
That led Gov. Walker to call for a two-year freeze on tuition in the UW System. This tuition freeze was added to the 2013-2015 state budget.
The UW System has proposed extending the tuition freeze for next year to include out-of-state and graduate students.