Today, UW System President Kevin Reilly announced that he will step down from his post at the end of December to become presidential advisor for leadership with the American Council on Education (ACE) in January 2014 and return to teaching.
Kevin Reilly has worked diligently and devotedly over the past nine years to ensure access for all Wisconsin students to a quality UW System education. Thanks to his insightful, wise and dedicated leadership, the UW System remains strong and respected for its excellence both nationally and globally — as a place where students come first and as a key driver of economic growth in our state.
Dr. Reilly has worked to ensure that the UW System remains unified, while also recognizing the distinctive and important missions of the individual system campuses. He advocated for more flexibilities in the way our individual campuses are managed — advocacy that was key, I believe, in UW-Eau Claire receiving Board of Regents approval for the Blugold Commitment, a student-endorsed and -supported program that has opened up opportunities for all of our students to benefit from high-impact practices (like internships, faculty/student research and intercultural immersion) during their college experience.
As we enter this time of transition in leadership, I have great confidence in the future of our university system. I look forward to working with my colleagues from all the UW campuses to support our new president in ensuring the UW System's continued role in creating a bright future for the state of Wisconsin.
