Dive Brief:
- The Universities of Wisconsin board of regents on Tuesday unanimously voted to fire President Jay Rothman after he declined to resign quietly.
- Board President Amy Bogost said during Tuesday's meeting that the decision to terminate Rothman stemmed from the results of his annual performance review, which were shared with him.
- However, Rothman last month told Bogost that he had declined a request from the board to resign because he was not given an explanation for their decision, according to the Associated Press, which first reported the story.
Dive Insight:
In a March 26 letter from Rothman to Bogost, the president said he was given three options — resign quickly, retire by the end of the calendar year or face termination by the board. He declined to step down, saying that he had not been given "any substantive reason or reasons" for the board to have lost faith in his work.
Bogost pushed back on Rothman's characterization of the proceedings this week.
"President Rothman was not without notice, nor was this process sudden," she said in a Monday statement. "The Board has engaged with President Rothman in good-faith discussions over the past several months.”
She repeated that statement during Tuesday's board meeting. Bogost's comments came after a closed session, and no other regents spoke publicly on the matter during the meeting.
Rothman told AP that the first he heard "any sort of defense of their position was when they communicated with the media."
“I am left to conclude that, at best, this reflects an after-the-fact rationalization of a decision that was previously made,” he said prior to Tuesday's vote.
Chris Patton, the Universities of Wisconsin’s vice president for university relations, is serving as the system's acting leader until an interim president is named, the board said in a Tuesday statement.
"The Board is grateful for President Rothman’s service and recognizes the meaningful work undertaken during his tenure," the board said. "However, despite these accomplishments, based on the annual performance review and subsequent discussions, the Board has lost confidence in President Rothman’s ability to lead the UWs moving forward."
Rothman is the first of the system's 11 leaders to be fired.
The regents' decision drew criticism from at least one state lawmaker. Prior to the board vote, Republican State Sen. Patrick Testin, the chamber's president pro tempore, called for a potential blockade on regent appointments.
"If the Board of Regents remove President Rothman without just cause, the Senate should reject every one of their nominations," he said on social media Monday. "Their actions should have consequences."
Most Universities of Wisconsin regents are appointed by the governor, a position held by Democrat Tony Evers since 2019.
Rothman had no previous work history in higher education when he took the helm of the Universities of Wisconsin in 2022. Since then, he had led a university system constantly operating amid the din of crisis.
The system has struggled financially in recent years — both due to sectorwide issues related to enrollment and rising costs, and because of tense relations with the state's Republican-controlled Legislature.
Several of the system's 13 campuses, including those in Milwaukee, Platteville and Oshkosh, have undergone dramatic staffing cuts. Even so, many still faced structural budget deficits in fiscal 2025.
In December, the system's board approved a program reduction framework that would make it easier to cut low-enrollment academic offerings. It could put up to 10% of the system's undergraduate programs on the chopping block.
By many metrics, things have improved during Rothman's tenure. Systemwide enrollment has ticked upward since 2022, and he said in his March 26 letter that all campuses now have balanced budgets.
He lobbied legislators for a $855 million increase in funding. The state’s latest two-year budget ultimately gave the system an additional $256 million. He also unsuccessfully sought to expand the Wisconsin Tuition Promise, which automatically covers tuition and fees for students whose families earn below a designated threshold.
In 2023, Rothman struck a deal with Republican lawmakers to freeze hiring for diversity-focused positions and restructure existing roles to serve all students. In exchange, the legislators released the $800 million in funding they had withheld over the system’s diversity, equity and inclusion programs.
The system's flagship, the University of Wisconsin–Madison, is also undergoing a leadership transition. Jennifer Mnookin is departing her role as the university's president in July to take the helm at Columbia University.
