Jay Rothman was removed from his position as president of the Universities of Wisconsin, according to an April 7 statement from the Board of Regents. The board has not provided a clear reason for its decision to terminate Rothman’s employment.
The removal comes after the Board praised Rothman for addressing longstanding structural deficits and working to improve financial stability at individual universities. In their statement, the Regents said, “Under his leadership, the Universities of Wisconsin took important and often difficult steps to address longstanding structural deficits, putting individual universities on sounder financial footing for the future. He worked hard to bring the best to the campuses, students, faculty, and staff. Those efforts and that dedication are acknowledged and appreciated. 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.”
The lack of specific reasons for Rothman’s dismissal has raised questions among observers who say more transparency is needed regarding decisions affecting public institutions. The statement from the Regents did not elaborate beyond citing a loss of confidence following an annual performance review.
Currently, 16 out of 18 members on the Board are appointees of Governor Tony Evers. One additional member is Jill Underly, state Superintendent of Schools. Over time, previous appointees have been replaced by those chosen by Evers or other state officials.
The broader implications include concerns about how changes in board composition may influence university governance in Wisconsin going forward.
