{"id":48015,"date":"2026-04-06T16:38:06","date_gmt":"2026-04-06T20:38:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wisconsin-university-system-president-faces-firing-vote-after-refusing-to-resign\/"},"modified":"2026-04-06T16:38:06","modified_gmt":"2026-04-06T20:38:06","slug":"wisconsin-university-system-president-faces-firing-vote-after-refusing-to-resign","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wisconsin-university-system-president-faces-firing-vote-after-refusing-to-resign\/","title":{"rendered":"Wisconsin University System President Faces Firing Vote After Refusing to Resign"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n

MADISON, Wis. (AP) \u2014 Wisconsin university system leaders will decide Tuesday whether to terminate their president after he declined to step down voluntarily, demanding an explanation for what he called an unexpected dismissal attempt.<\/p>

Jay Rothman, who oversees the 165,000-student Universities of Wisconsin system, sent correspondence to board members stating he would not voluntarily leave his position without understanding what prompted the action against him.<\/p>

Board of Regents President Amy Bogost responded Monday that Rothman “was not without notice, nor was this process sudden.”<\/p>

“The Board has engaged with President Rothman in good-faith discussions over the past several months,” she said.<\/p>

The termination decision is set for 5 p.m. Tuesday. Rothman did not respond to requests for comment.<\/p>

The board action comes just five days after news broke that regents had given Rothman an ultimatum to resign or face removal.<\/p>

Rothman has served as the multi-campus system’s leader since 2022. His correspondence marked the first public revelation that his position was at risk, catching university officials and state leaders off guard.<\/p>

The attempt to remove Rothman without public explanation drew criticism Friday from Republican state Rep. David Murphy, who leads the Wisconsin Assembly’s higher education committee.<\/p>

“This lack of transparency is unacceptable,” Murphy said. “President Rothman deserves to know exactly why the Board has lost confidence in his leadership.”<\/p>

Bogost characterized the decision as forward-looking during a period of “profound change” in higher education, saying “this decision is about the future.”<\/p>

“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,” she said.<\/p>

During Rothman’s leadership, he has worked to secure additional state funding while facing federal budget reductions, addressed campus free speech issues during pro-Palestinian demonstrations, and managed declining student numbers that resulted in eight satellite campus closures, though overall enrollment remained stable.<\/p>

Employment attorney Tamara Packard, who examined Rothman’s contract, confirmed that he can be dismissed without cause and has no right to appeal the decision.<\/p>

The contract requires six months’ advance notice of termination. Typically, dismissed executives focus on transition responsibilities rather than continuing regular duties, Packard explained.<\/p>

Throughout his term, Rothman has worked with a Republican-majority Legislature while reporting to a regent board dominated by Democratic Gov. Tony Evers’ appointees. This same board hired him initially.<\/p>

With Evers not running for re-election, a new governor will soon have authority over regent appointments. The board controls hiring and firing decisions for university leadership.<\/p>

When questioned Monday about the board’s intentions regarding Rothman, Evers remained neutral.<\/p>

“It’s their call,” Evers said of the board.<\/p>

The leadership uncertainty coincides with the departure of Madison campus Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin, who will leave in May to become Columbia University’s president.<\/p>

Before joining the university system, Rothman served as chair and CEO of Milwaukee law firm Foley & Lardner, bringing no previous higher education administration experience to the role.<\/p>

His current annual compensation totals $600,943.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Universities of Wisconsin Board of Regents will vote Tuesday on terminating system president Jay Rothman, who declined to step down voluntarily without explanation. Rothman has led the 165,000-student system since 2022 and says he was given no reason for the surprise dismissal request.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":48014,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[831],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-48015","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-us-news"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/news-1775507886261.jpg?fit=1000%2C813&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pbtNqq-cur","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":49057,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wisconsin-university-president-says-he-was-caught-off-guard-by-sudden-firing\/","url_meta":{"origin":48015,"position":0},"title":"Wisconsin University President Says He Was Caught Off Guard by Sudden Firing","author":"Admin","date":"April 8, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Jay Rothman, who led the Universities of Wisconsin system, spoke out after being unanimously dismissed by the board of regents Tuesday night. 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