Rothman has led the 25-campus system for nearly four years.
Photo illustration by Justin Morrison/Inside Higher Ed | Liam Knox/Inside Higher Ed
The standoff between Universities of Wisconsin president Jay Rothman and the system’s regents is over after the board voted Tuesday night to fire him at the end of a half-hour meeting.
Rothman has been under pressure to resign, but he refused to do so and went public last week with the board’s campaign to get rid of him—saying he had been given no reason and that the board had threatened to fire him if he did not step down. Now they’ve followed through on that promise, terminating a president who has led the 25-campus system for almost four years. Campus closures, enrollment challenges and political tensions over pro-Palestinian protests and diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives that Republican lawmakers targeted marked his tumultuous tenure.
The vote to fire Rothman, effective immediately, passed unanimously with no public discussion. Regents did not publicly discuss the appointment of an interim leader or say why they got rid of Rothman. Instead, they announced in a statement after the meeting that Vice President for University Relations Chris Patton will serve as “acting executive-in-charge” until an interim president is appointed.
Rothman, a lawyer by trade and first-time college administrator, regularly conceded to demands from the Republican-majority Legislature. The board that fired him was largely appointed by two-term Democratic governor Tony Evers. While news of the conflict first broke last week, Rothman initially refused to step down in a March 26 letter to the regents, which also referenced a prior meeting, indicating that the fight over his future had been underway for at least two weeks.
Board president Amy Bogost wrote in her own letter Monday that such discussions began several months ago. On Tuesday, she offered no new details, reading verbatim from that letter.
“President 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. “This does not diminish the President’s many contributions, which we acknowledge and greatly appreciate. As an at-will employee of the Board of Regents, the System President serves at the pleasure of the Board, which bears the responsibility of determining whether its chosen leader continues to hold its confidence. This governance structure is standard practice, and it exists to ensure that we remain accountable to the public we are honored to serve.”
While presidents serve at the pleasure of their boards, ousters with no public reasoning or claims of wrongdoing are uncommon. And when presidents have been pushed out recently, it has often been at the behest of Republican-appointed boards or lawmakers.
Rothman did not immediately respond to a request for comment sent via LinkedIn but has previously defended his tenure, pointing to his work on the system’s strategic plan, his role in obtaining state funding increases and capital investments, and improving operational efficiencies.
Tuesday’s decision seems certain to spark political backlash among state Republicans who publicly backed Rothman. Multiple state lawmakers, including Dave Murphy, chair of the House Committee on Colleges and Universities, questioned the rationale for firing Rothman and condemned the board for a lack of transparency in the process.
“The Board owes Wisconsin taxpayers, students and families a full explanation. They should provide specific reasons or stand down from this effort,” Murphy said in a statement last week.
Some Republican lawmakers have promised to take action against board members, 10 of whom have been seated but not yet confirmed by the Legislature.
“Make no mistake about it, the firing of UW President Rothman is a blatant partisan hatchet job. Despite his efforts to enact meaningful reforms to move our world-class institutions forward, members of the Board of Regents apparently believe President Rothman should be punished for not being liberal enough,” State Senator Patrick Testin posted on social media Tuesday night. “His only crime was his willingness to work with lawmakers on both sides of the aisle to get things done. Because the Board of Regents decided to remove President Rothman without just cause, I am calling on the Senate to reject every single one of their confirmations. As they say, actions have consequences.”
Evers, who is not running for re-election, has said little about the decision to fire Rothman. On Monday, asked by the press about the looming termination, he said, “It’s their call.”
