Universities of Wisconsin System President Jay Rothman was fired by the Board of Regents April 7, a decision that the board cited as unanimous. Rothman is the first UW System president to be fired.
The board cited in a press release that despite Rothman’s 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.”
The April 7 closed session lasted approximately 30 minutes.
Rothman and the board had previously traded remarks about his standing with the system. Rothman claimed the board had provided no reason to fire him, while Regent President Amy Bogost said in an April 6 statement that the decision was about the future “at a time of profound change in higher education.”
Rothman claimed that the board had asked him to retire or resign in a March 21 letter from Bogost, and he refused to do so. He cited a lack of “any substantive reason or reasons for the Board’s finding of no confidence in my leadership” as reason for his refusal.
Rothman, who was elected June 1, 2022, helped bring in the UW system’s largest funding and budget increase in over two decades. He also faced controversy for eliminating diversity, equity and inclusion programs across UW campuses, facing declining enrollment which forced eight branch campuses to close, and debating free speech on campuses following an increase in pro-Palestenian protests across the state.
Rothman told the Associated Press April 8 that the “difficult decisions” he made throughout his tenure may have upset people, but he was not sure if those contributed to his firing.
“I am disappointed with the board’s action, but I’m not angry,” he told the AP. “I’m concerned about the future of the Universities of Wisconsin.”
The Senate Committee on Universities and Technical College, chaired by Sen. Rob Hutton, a Republican lawmaker who heavily criticized the board’s decision, scheduled a meeting for April 9 to discuss the confirmation of the board’s members. Gov. Tony Evers responded to the committee, stating that “Republican lawmakers should resist their temptation to turn this into a political conversation, because it isn’t one.”
Bogost and board member Timothy Nixon testified during the meeting, justifying their decision to fire Rothman and provided multiple reasons why, including his lack of urgency to address critical issues, his tendency to threaten resignation if he did not get his way and taking credit for team-wide accomplishments.
Bogost also noted during the meeting that the firing was not political or retaliatory, and the decision was “not taken lightly.”
The committee did not oust the board members during the meeting.
Before Rothman’s tenure as system president, he served as the chairman and CEO of the law firm Foley & Lardner LLP and Transactional & Securities Practice. He was a practicing lawyer, focusing on mergers and acquisitions, securities law, general corporate law and more.
Rothman earned his bachelor’s degree from Marquette University and law degree from Harvard University. Before joining the UW System, he had no prior experience working in higher education.
Chris Patton, the Universities of Wisconsin vice president for university relations, will serve as acting executive-in-charge while the system searches for an interim president.
Royal Purple reached out to the UW-Whitewater Faculty Senate but did not receive a response before publication. Chancellor Corey A. King and University Marketing and Communications Executive Director Jeff Angileri forwarded us to the Universities of Wisconsin.
