In Madison, Wisconsin, the Universities of Wisconsin Board of Regents moved toward a decision on system leadership, scheduling a vote Tuesday afternoon on whether to terminate president Jay Rothman after he refused the board’s offer to step down quietly, according to communications described by The Associated Press. The vote is set for 5 p.m., and the reporting said Rothman did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Rothman, who has led the multicampus system since 2022, told regents in two letters that he would not resign without an explanation for the board’s move, the AP reported. The letters were the first public indication that Rothman’s job was in jeopardy and surprised university and state officials, according to the report.
Board of Regents President Amy Bogost, speaking in a statement Monday, said Rothman “was not without notice, nor was this process sudden.” She also said in the statement that “The Board has engaged with President Rothman in good-faith discussions over the past several months,” framing the scheduled termination vote as part of a broader change in higher education.
This scheduled vote follows closely on fresh reporting about the board’s request to Rothman, the AP said, noting it was scheduled five days after it first reported that the regents asked Rothman to either resign or face being fired. In the period since, the fight over Rothman’s future has drawn criticism from Republican state Rep. David Murphy, the chair of the Wisconsin Assembly’s colleges and universities committee.
Murphy said the board’s approach lacked transparency. “This lack of transparency is unacceptable,” he said, adding that “President Rothman deserves to know exactly why the Board has lost confidence in his leadership.”
Bogost tied the board’s action to its stated priorities for UW’s future, saying 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.” The statement set the decision in the context of ongoing governance over the system’s 72 counties.
In a separate legal assessment shared with the AP, Wisconsin employment law attorney Tamara Packard said Rothman could be fired for no stated reason and has no appeal rights. The AP reported that the president’s contract requires six months’ notice of termination, but Packard said that in practice a person is typically told to transition duties and is not expected to work in the office in the same way as before the notice.
The AP also said the political backdrop includes negotiations during Rothman’s tenure with a Republican-controlled Legislature and a board of regents that includes a majority of appointees from Democratic Gov. Tony Evers, who appointed those members when Rothman was hired. Evers, asked Monday about the board’s desire to oust Rothman, did not take a side, saying, “It’s their call,” the AP reported.
The timing of the board’s action comes as campus leadership changes are underway, with the flagship Madison campus losing its chancellor. The AP reported that Jennifer Mnookin is leaving at the end of the current academic year in May to become president of Columbia University.
Rothman previously led the Milwaukee-based Foley & Lardner law firm, and the AP said he had no prior experience administering higher education. The report also said his salary as UW president is $600,943.