Jay Rothman, the recently terminated president of the Universities of Wisconsin, challenged several public statements made by Board of Regents President Amy Bogost on Apr. 9. Rothman said he was not given a reason for his dismissal and disputed that there were ongoing good faith discussions about his job status.
The dispute has raised questions about transparency and governance at the Universities of Wisconsin. The lack of a clear explanation for Rothman’s firing has led to legislative scrutiny and calls for accountability from university stakeholders and state officials.
Rothman said, “I did ask multiple times for a reason, and I was not given one.” He added that the Regents offered him “the opportunity to announce my retirement to serve through the end of the calendar year,” but he declined because he could not “basically live a lie until Dec. 31 of 2026.” In response to Bogost’s claim that there had been months-long good faith discussions with him regarding his employment, Rothman said, “If those discussions were ongoing, they were not with me. That did not occur. It’s as simple as that.”
Bogost wrote in her statement, “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 also described an annual performance review process involving feedback from various stakeholders within the university system: “Under Board policy, the Board President is tasked to conduct an annual performance review of the System President… This process consisted of multiple meetings with the full Board of Regents, including direct conversations and clear feedback regarding leadership expectations.”
Rothman disputed this characterization: “The Regent president apparently in an attempt to try to do a 360 degree review talked to a lot of people,” he said. He described receiving unstructured feedback without suggestions for improvement and noted that it had been characterized as “overwhelmingly positive.” According to Rothman, he first learned his job was at risk on March 20 during a call from Regent Vice President Kyle Weatherly informing him that confidence had been lost.
State Sen. Patrick Testin called Rothman’s firing a “blatant partisan political hatchet job,” suggesting political motivations behind recent actions by the board. Legislative committees are now planning hearings seeking further explanations from Regents regarding their decision.
Rothman acknowledged that while “the Board of Regents have a right to terminate him with or without cause,” he remains concerned about what this means for higher education in Wisconsin: “My concern really is for the future of the Universities of Wisconsin.”
