Rothman, the president of the University of Wisconsin system, said he has been told to resign or be fired despite receiving no explanation for why the Board of Regents wants him to leave. In letters obtained by The Associated Press, Rothman said the regents have not provided reasons and that, as a matter of principle, he will not submit his resignation.
Rothman said he addressed a letter to Board of Regents president Amy Bogost dated March 26, after what he described as a demand that he step aside. He said he had not been “provided any substantive reason or reasons for the Board’s finding of no confidence in my leadership,” and he said the board’s position is that his options are to resign or retire.
Rothman said he was told that if he does not resign, the board “was prepared to terminate my employment despite all that has been accomplished.” He said he asked for an opportunity to discuss the situation with the board, but was told that would not happen. When reached by email on Thursday, Rothman declined to comment beyond saying, “I believe my letter speaks for itself.”
The Board of Regents president, Amy Bogost, said in a statement to AP that the board does not comment on personnel matters and that it is responsible for the leadership of the Universities of Wisconsin as it discusses its future. Bogost said the board held a closed emergency meeting Wednesday night to discuss personnel matters.
Rothman also said he refused to resign in a second letter that he sent to two other regents on Wednesday. He said the two regents urged him to step down during a Tuesday meeting and that, in response to his requests, they also could not give a reason for wanting him to resign or be fired.
In the letters, Rothman said the process left him with no clear basis to accept the board’s demands. “I find this process to be nearly (if not completely) indefensible,” Rothman wrote, according to AP’s report. Rothman said he was surprised when he was told “an unidentified majority of the Board of Regents had lost confidence” in his leadership and that he asked for reasons but was told each regent has his or her own perspective.
Rothman said the board did not provide tangible reasons for its determination when he raised the question. He also cited upcoming leadership changes on the flagship Madison campus, saying in his March letter that the university will need to replace chancellor Jennifer Mnookin, who is leaving to become president of Columbia University.
Rothman, a former chair and CEO of Milwaukee-based law firm Foley & Lardner, was chosen as UW president in 2022. AP reported that his salary as UW president is $600,943. The Universities of Wisconsin system includes 13 universities and several other branch campuses, and Rothman’s tenure has included efforts to increase state funding amid federal cuts, debates over free speech on campus amid pro-Palestinian protests, and eight branch campus closures tied to declining enrollment.