Universities of Wisconsin board will vote on whether to fire system president who refused to quit

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The Universities of Wisconsin Board of Regents scheduled a Tuesday vote to consider firing the system’s president, who refused their offer to quietly resign because he said no reason had been given for the surprise ouster.

Jay Rothman said in two letters sent to regents that he would not resign from leading the 165,000-student system without an explanation of what he had done wrong.

Board of Regents President Amy Bogost said in a statement Monday that Rothman “was not without notice, nor was this process sudden.”

“The Board has engaged with President Rothman in good-faith discussions over the past several months,” she said.

The board scheduled the termination vote for 5 p.m. Tuesday. Rothman did not immediately return an email seeking comment.

The vote is scheduled for just five days after The Associated Press first reported that the board asked Rothman to either resign or face being fired.

Rothman has been president of the multicampus university system since 2022. His letters were the first public indication that Rothman’s job was in jeopardy and took university and state government officials by surprise.

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The move to quickly and quietly oust Rothman drew fire on Friday from Republican state Rep. David Murphy, chair of the Wisconsin Assembly’s colleges and universities committee.

“This lack of transparency is unacceptable,” Murphy said. “President Rothman deserves to know exactly why the Board has lost confidence in his leadership.”

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Bogost said it was a time of “profound change” in higher education and “this decision is about the future.”

“The Universities of Wisconsin must be led with a clear vision that both protects and strengthens our flagship, support our comprehensive universities and ensures we are meeting the evolving needs of our students, workforce and communities across all 72 counties,” she said.

Rothman’s tenure has been marked by his efforts to increase state funding amid federal cuts, debates over free speech on campus amid pro-Palestinian protests, and declining enrollment leading to eight branch campus closures even as enrollment overall held steady.

Rothman can be fired for no stated reason and he has no appeal rights, said Wisconsin employment law attorney Tamara Packard, who reviewed Rothman’s contract at the AP’s request.

Under the contract, Rothman would have to be given six-months’ notice of his termination. In practice, what usually happens is the person is told to focus on transitioning their duties and not actually work in the office any longer, Packard said.

Rothman has had to navigate negotiations with a Republican-controlled Legislature during his tenure and a board of regents with a majority of appointees from Democratic Gov. Tony Evers. The board was controlled by Evers appointees when Rothman was hired.

Evers is not seeking a third term, meaning there will be a new governor next year with the power to make appointments to the board of regents. The board is in charge of hiring and firing university leaders.

Evers, when asked Monday about the board’s desire to oust Rothman, didn’t take a side.

“It’s their call,” Evers said of the board.

The fight over Rothman’s future also comes as the flagship Madison campus is losing its chancellor. Jennifer Mnookin is leaving at the end of the current academic year in May to take the job as president of Columbia University.

Rothman, the former chair and CEO of the Milwaukee-based Foley & Lardner law firm, had no prior experience administering higher education.

His salary as UW president is $600,943.