In a 17-0 vote Tuesday evening the University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents voted to terminate President Jay Rothman’s contract, effective immediately.
"The Board is grateful for President Rothman’s service and recognizes the meaningful work undertaken during his tenure," the Regents said in a statement immediately following the meeting. "However, despite these accomplishments, based on the annual performance review and subsequent discussions, the Board has lost confidence in President Rothman’s ability to lead the UWs moving forward."
Rothman, the ninth UW System president, is the first to be fired in system history.
Vice President of University Relations Chris Patton will serve as the 'Acting Executive-in-Charge' as the Regents search for both an interim president and the next System President. The system will also be searching for a new University of Wisconsin-Madison chancellor.
Though Rothman's appointment as president ended on Tuesday, he will be paid at his current salary of $600,943 through Oct. 8, 2026, according to UW System spokesperson Mark Pitsch.
Rothman refused to resign last Thursday on principle after he said in letters to the Regents that they requested he resign or retire without cause.
“Since to date you have not provided any substantive reason or reasons for the Board’s finding of no confidence in my leadership,” Rothman wrote on March 26, “I am not prepared, as a matter of principle, to submit my resignation.”
Board President Amy Bogost cast doubt on Rothman’s claims that the call for his resignation came as a surprise in a Monday statement that she also read during the Tuesday meeting, but offered limited explanations as to why the Regents wanted to terminate his contract. She cited an annual performance review of Rothman where she had met with Regents, chancellors and other members of the UW community.
“This process consisted of multiple meetings with the full Board of Regents, including direct conversations and clear feedback regarding leadership expectations,” she said. “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.”
Several Republicans in the legislature criticized the decision as a political maneuver and a perceived lack of transparency from the Regents.
Rep. David Murphy, R-Hortonville, who serves as the chair of the Assembly’s Committee on Colleges and Universities, wrote in a Friday statement that he was “troubled” by reports that Regents provided little reasoning for this decision, adding he worried the decision might be political in nature.
Murphy also announced Tuesday that he plans to hold a public hearing featuring 10 Regents appointed by Gov. Evers who have not been confirmed by the Senate. The Senate dismissed two Regents in March 2024 who had voted against the controversial 2023 ‘DEI deal.’ If unconfirmed, Regents can be dismissed at any time by the Senate.
Rothman penned two letters, one to Bogost with his initial refusal to resign and another to Regents Ashok Rai and Jack Salzwedel after a Tuesday meeting the three had, with Rai and Salzwedel again urging him to step down in order to ‘preserve his legacy.”
Bogost said the decision was about the future of higher education.
“The Universities of Wisconsin must be led with a clear vision that both protects and strengthens our flagship, supports our comprehensive universities and ensures we are meeting the evolving needs of our students, workforce and communities across all 72 counties,” Bogost wrote in a statement Monday.
“It is disappointing that the first I heard any sort of defense of their position was when they communicated with the media,” Rothman said in a Tuesday afternoon statement before the meeting. “I am left to conclude that, at best, this reflects an after-the-fact rationalization of a decision that was previously made.”
Rothman first assumed the position in 2022. Before that he served as chairman and CEO of Foley & Lardner LLP, one of the largest law firms in Wisconsin.
His term has been plagued by administrative turnover and branch campus closures. This year alone, there have been chancellor searches at UW-Stevens Point and UW-Eau Claire, with University of Wisconsin-Madison Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin also announcing in late January that she would depart the university to become the president of Columbia University next fall. As of November 2025, six UW System branch campuses have closed in the last three years.
Rothman has also faced opposition from the Legislature — resulting in controversial deals in the last two budget cycles that eliminated DEI positions and increased teacher workloads — and received criticism over his handling of free speech measures, especially as it related to pro-Palestine protests on campuses.
More lawmakers weigh in
In the days since Rothman’s letters, prominent Republican lawmakers have joined Murphy in Rothman’s defense.
“It’s clear that the Board of Regents, made up entirely of Evers appointees, is attempting to push President Rothman out so they can install someone more closely aligned with their progressive agenda—particularly as they look toward selecting the next chancellor of their flagship campus,” Committee on Colleges and Universities Vice Chair Rep. Amanda Nedweski, R-Pleasant Prairie, said in a statement to the Daily Cardinal. “While I haven’t always agreed with President Rothman on every issue facing the UW System, I have always appreciated his professionalism and his willingness to engage with Republican lawmakers--to listen to our concerns and find areas of compromise. Unfortunately, it appears that this willingness to work with Republicans may have made him incompatible with the Regents’ agenda.”
Sen. Rob Hutton, R-Brookfield, who chairs the Senate Committee on Universities and Technical Colleges, decried the situation as “the latest example of backroom politics dictating how the Board of Regents is overseeing the UW System.” Committee Vice-Chair Rachael Cabral-Guevara, R-Fox Crossing, agreed, lamenting the lack of transparency by the Regents during the process.
On the other side of the aisle, Evers told reporters Monday when asked about the Regents' upcoming vote, that the decision was “their call."
Rep. Jodi Emerson, D-Eau Claire, thanked Rothman for his service in a Wednesday statement but said she respected the Regents' decision to move forward with new leadership.
“Our public universities in Wisconsin are a source of pride and excellence in our state. Supporting our universities should be a bipartisan and unifying issue,” she said. “I am disappointed in some of my colleagues across the aisle who are blaming President Rothman’s termination on extreme partisanship, before knowing all the details. We need to stop partisan finger-pointing and focus on what Wisconsinites really care about, which is supporting the future of the UW System.”
Editor's Note: This story was updated at 2:18 p.m. on April 8 to include additional statements from lawmakers.
Annika Bereny is the campus news editor for The Daily Cardinal. She previously served as the special pages editor. As a staff writer, she's written in-depth on campus news specializing in protest policy, free speech and historical analysis. She has also written for state and city news. She is a History and Journalism major. Follow her on Twitter at @annikabereny.
