MADISON, Wis. — The leader of Wisconsin’s massive university system, serving 165,000 students, is pushing back against the board of regents’ unexpected move to oust him from his position.
Jay Rothman, who has headed the Universities of Wisconsin since 2022, is refusing demands to step down or face termination, according to correspondence he sent to board members that The Associated Press obtained Thursday.
The university system president manages the entire network, encompassing the prominent Madison campus, 12 additional universities, and various satellite locations. Rothman answers to an 18-member board of regents, while campus chancellors and vice presidents report directly to him. He also manages administrative staff and operations across the system.
Rothman serves as the eighth leader of the UW System, established by state lawmakers in 1971.
The board’s desire to remove Rothman caught many off guard. Information about the situation surfaced through two letters Rothman wrote to regents following private meetings. No board member had previously voiced concerns about Rothman’s job performance in public forums. According to Rothman, regents have failed to explain their motivations for seeking his departure.
“When I asked you to articulate reasons for the Board’s conclusion and apparent lack of confidence in me, you merely noted that each Regent has his or her own perspective on the matter,” Rothman stated in a March 26 correspondence to the board’s leader. “You did not provide any tangible reasons for the Board’s determination.”
All 18 board members were contacted by the AP Thursday, but none responded to inquiries or offered statements.
Questions remain about whether the board possesses authority to terminate the president without justification. University representatives are researching legal parameters governing such actions.
In his communication to the board’s head, Rothman emphasized he had not been “provided any substantive reason or reasons for the Board’s finding of no confidence in my leadership.”
Given this lack of explanation, Rothman declared, “I am not prepared, as a matter of principle, to submit my resignation.”
Board members convened in private session Wednesday to address personnel issues. However, the meeting’s focus on Rothman’s status remained unknown until his letters became public Thursday.
In correspondence sent Wednesday to two regents, Rothman revealed they warned him of potential weekend termination proceedings if he refused to resign voluntarily.
Before joining the university system, Rothman built his career in law, eventually becoming chairman and chief executive of Milwaukee’s Foley & Lardner firm. The practice employs 1,100 lawyers across 22 national offices.
Regent Karen Walsh, who headed the presidential search effort, praised him in 2022 as a “servant leader” skilled at building consensus. She declined comment when reached Thursday.
Rothman earned his undergraduate degree from Milwaukee’s Marquette University and obtained his law degree from Harvard University.
His presidency has been characterized by efforts to secure additional state funding while facing federal reductions, managing campus free speech debates during pro-Palestinian demonstrations, and addressing enrollment declines that resulted in eight branch campus shutdowns.
In 2023, Rothman considered stepping down when regents initially rejected an agreement he negotiated with Wisconsin’s Republican-led Legislature regarding diversity, equity and inclusion programs. The board subsequently reversed course and approved the arrangement.
This leadership dispute emerges as the system prepares to find a new chancellor for its flagship Madison location. Current Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin is departing to assume the presidency at Columbia University.
