It is “critical” for University of Wisconsin colleges and universities to work “better” with businesses to meet future demands, UW System President Ray Cross said Tuesday at the monthly WIN luncheon held at the Sheraton Hotel.

To accomplish this, Cross said that the system’s goals should be access, affordability, success and talent development. For affordability, he explained that the “real focus” should be on time to degree instead of tuition rates.

“We have to get people through the system (in four years),” Cross said, noting that public school students take longer on average to graduate than private school students.

Cross also explained that the role of the university isn’t just to prepare students for the workforce, especially when many future jobs don’t exist today.

“Everything we do is future focused,” Cross said. “(That’s why) we must teach creativity and critical thinking.”

In 2014, Cross became the seventh president of the UW System, which serves approximately 180,000 students.