University of Wisconsin System President Dismissed by Board of Regents

On the evening of April 7, 2026, the Universities of Wisconsin Board of Regents convened for a meeting that lasted barely 30 minutes. After roughly 20 minutes in closed session, the board emerged and voted unanimously to terminate Jay Rothman as president of the 25-campus university system — effective immediately [1][2]. There was no public discussion. No regent spoke to explain their vote. The only public statement came from Board President Amy Bogost, who said the board had "lost confidence in President Rothman's ability to lead the UWs moving forward" [3].

Rothman, who had refused to resign despite weeks of pressure, was not present for the vote [2]. His firing marks the culmination of a months-long, largely hidden power struggle between a university president who insisted he had done nothing wrong and a board that declined to tell him — or the public — exactly what he had done wrong.

The Five Days That Made It Public

The crisis burst into public view on April 2, when the Associated Press obtained letters Rothman had sent to the regents revealing that Bogost had told him to resign or face termination [5]. Rothman wrote that regents "repeatedly declined to cite a specific reason" for their loss of confidence [2]. He noted that Bogost had previously described his annual performance review as "overwhelmingly positive" and that no one had ever indicated an evaluation could lead to his dismissal [3][6].

Bogost disputed that characterization. In her post-termination statement, she said the board had "engaged with President Rothman in good-faith discussions over the past several months" and had provided "direct conversations and clear feedback regarding leadership expectations" [1][3]. She added that the system needed "a clear vision" — though she did not specify what vision Rothman had failed to articulate [3].

The board's refusal to publicly state its reasons transformed what might have been a routine leadership change into a political flashpoint.

The Vote: Unanimous but Contested

All 18 members of the Board of Regents — 14 citizen members and 2 student members appointed by the governor, plus 2 ex officio members — participated in the decision [4]. The unanimous vote obscured significant political fault lines.

Every current regent was appointed by Democratic Governor Tony Evers [1][7]. Ten of those appointees remain unconfirmed by the Republican-controlled state Senate [6], a detail that became immediately relevant when Republican legislators threatened consequences.

State Senate President Patrick Testin called the firing "a blatant partisan hatchet job," saying Rothman was dismissed for "not being liberal enough" and that "his only crime was his willingness to work with lawmakers on both sides of the aisle" [3]. Sen. Rob Hutton, chair of the Senate higher education committee, criticized "backroom maneuvering" and announced hearings for the 10 unconfirmed regent appointees [6]. Rep. Dave Murphy, chair of the Assembly Committee on Colleges and Universities, said "the Board owes Wisconsin taxpayers, students and families a full explanation" [1].

Governor Evers, whose appointees carried out the firing, declined to take a position. "He works for the board and if the board is dissatisfied, they have the right to do this," Evers said. "It's their call" [7].

Rothman's Tenure: Four Years of Crossfire

Jay Rothman came to the UW System in January 2022 as an outsider. The former chair and CEO of Foley & Lardner, a Milwaukee-based law firm, he had no prior experience in higher education administration [1][2]. His tenure placed him at the center of several overlapping crises.

The DEI Deal

In 2023, Rothman brokered one of the most controversial deals in UW System history. Facing a Republican legislature that had frozen funding for construction projects and staff cost-of-living raises, Rothman negotiated directly with Assembly Speaker Robin Vos and Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu [8][9]. The agreement: Republicans would release the frozen funds in exchange for the UW System scaling back its diversity, equity, and inclusion programs. Rothman ordered chancellors to eliminate mandatory diversity statements for job applicants by June 30, 2023 [9].

The deal satisfied neither side. Republican lawmakers got their DEI concessions but continued to press for deeper cuts. Faculty and progressive groups were furious. The Board of Regents initially rejected the deal before ultimately approving a modified version, and Evers said at the time that it left him "disappointed and frustrated" [7][8]. Rothman himself reportedly considered resigning in 2023 when the board first balked at the agreement [5].

Campus Closures

Under Rothman's watch, the UW System closed or announced closures for eight branch campuses — four in 2024, three in 2025, and one planned for 2026 [10][11]. UW-Milwaukee at Washington County shut its doors in June 2024. UW-Milwaukee at Waukesha and UW-Oshkosh's Fox Cities campus closed after spring 2025. UW-Green Bay's Marinette campus ended in-person classes in mid-2024 [10]. UW-Platteville's Baraboo Sauk County branch is set to close in May 2026 [10].

Source: Wisconsin State Legislature / UW System

Data as of Apr 1, 2026CSV

These closures reflected a broader enrollment decline that predated Rothman but accelerated during his presidency. System-wide enrollment fell from roughly 170,400 in 2018 to an estimated 156,500 in 2025 — a drop of approximately 14,000 students, or about 8% [11].

Source: Universities of Wisconsin

Data as of Oct 1, 2025CSV

Free Speech and Campus Protests

Rothman also faced pressure over his handling of pro-Palestinian protests on UW campuses. Republican lawmakers praised his efforts to maintain order and protect free speech, with Rep. Murphy suggesting that the push to oust Rothman "may actually stem from his strong support for free speech and open inquiry on our campuses" [8]. The faculty union offered a contrasting view.

The Case Against Rothman

AFT-Wisconsin, the union representing UW faculty, supported the board's decision. President Jon Shelton said "President Rothman's tenure has been defined by his unwillingness to listen to the stakeholders that truly define our campuses" [3].

Though the board never publicly detailed its performance concerns, several governance issues emerged during Rothman's tenure. The branch campus closures displaced students and eliminated jobs across rural Wisconsin. An internal UW System briefing recommended further downsizing of remaining branch campuses [12]. UW-Milwaukee, the system's second-largest campus, was losing approximately 2,000 students per year on average [13]. And Wisconsin's per-student public funding for four-year universities ranked 44th nationally — sixth worst in the country — raising questions about whether system leadership had done enough to secure adequate resources [14].

Source: State Higher Education Executive Officers Association (SHEEO)

Data as of Mar 1, 2025CSV

Rothman's supporters counter that he successfully lobbied for increased state aid, maintained steady overall enrollment at flagship campuses despite the branch campus declines, and secured capital investment — achievements accomplished while working across partisan lines in a deeply divided state [1][6].

The Steelman Case for the Board

Defenders of the regents' decision point to several factors beyond partisan politics. The board conducted a formal performance review, and while its contents remain confidential, Bogost stated that the review's results were shared with Rothman along with "clear feedback regarding leadership expectations" [3]. The board's position is that Rothman was given notice and opportunity to address concerns, and that the termination was neither sudden nor arbitrary [1].

The faculty union's support lends some credibility to the argument that this was not purely political. Shelton's critique — that Rothman was unresponsive to campus stakeholders — speaks to a governance failure distinct from ideological disagreement [3]. The ongoing campus closures, each of which disrupted communities and eliminated access to higher education in rural areas, represented tangible harms that a board could reasonably hold a president accountable for, even if the root causes — declining demographics and chronic underfunding — preceded his tenure.

Additionally, UW-Madison Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin's departure in May 2026 to become president of Columbia University creates a leadership vacuum at the system's most prominent institution, compounding the instability [6]. A board might reasonably conclude that managing this transition required a system president who had its full confidence.

The Steelman Case for Rothman

Rothman's defenders have a strong counterargument: he was hired to do an impossible job and did it about as well as anyone could have. He took over a system hemorrhaging enrollment, starved of state funding, and caught in a political vise between a Democratic governor and a Republican legislature. He brokered deals. He kept campuses open as long as he could. He maintained working relationships with lawmakers who were ideologically opposed to the university system's direction [1][5].

The fact that the board never publicly articulated a specific performance failure — and that Rothman says his review was called "overwhelmingly positive" — undermines the narrative that this was a merit-based termination [3][6]. If the board had documented fiduciary concerns, governance failures, or ethical violations, it could have said so. It chose not to. That silence invites the interpretation that the reasons were political, personal, or both.

Republican legislators' defense of Rothman is itself notable. A Republican-aligned university president being fired by a Democratic-appointed board for being too willing to compromise with Republicans is a political dynamic that maps cleanly onto broader national conflicts over university governance.

Contract, Severance, and What Rothman Is Owed

Rothman's annual salary was $600,943 [6]. His employment contract, reviewed by Wisconsin employment attorney Tamara Packard at the AP's request, specifies that he can be terminated for no stated reason and has no appeal rights [2]. However, the contract requires six months' notice before termination. During that period, Rothman can be "reassigned to other duties" while continuing to receive his full salary [2]. In practice, this means Rothman will likely continue to be paid through approximately October 2026 without performing presidential duties — a de facto severance of roughly $300,000.

This is modest compared to some recent university leadership departures. University system and flagship presidential buyouts in other states have reached into the millions, particularly when terminations occur mid-contract with years remaining.

The Board's Political DNA

Wisconsin's Board of Regents consists of 18 members: 14 citizen members appointed by the governor for staggered seven-year terms, 2 student members appointed for two-year terms, and 2 ex officio members (the state superintendent of public instruction and the president of the technical college system board) [4]. Senate confirmation is required but has not been completed for 10 of the current appointees [6].

Because Governor Evers has served two terms, he has had the opportunity to appoint or reappoint every citizen and student regent. The result is a board that reflects his priorities — including Bogost, a civil rights attorney specializing in Title IX and educational equity, whom Evers first appointed in 2020 [15].

This dynamic is not unusual. In most states, the governor appoints university board members, and turnovers in the governor's office produce turnovers in board composition. But Wisconsin's system offers relatively weak political insulation. Unlike Michigan, where university board members are elected, or California, where UC regents serve 12-year terms designed to outlast any single governor, Wisconsin's seven-year terms and gubernatorial appointment power make the board susceptible to rapid political shifts [4].

Evers has announced he will not seek a third term, and the November 2026 gubernatorial election will determine who next shapes the board. A Republican governor would begin appointing new regents, potentially flipping the board's political orientation within a few years.

What Happens Next: Interim Leadership and the Search

Vice President for University Relations Chris Patton has been designated "acting executive-in-charge" until an interim president is formally appointed [1][2]. The board has not announced a timeline for selecting either an interim or permanent replacement.

The search for a permanent president will unfold against a complicated backdrop. The UW System is losing its flagship chancellor (Mnookin at UW-Madison) at the same time it has lost its system president [6]. Faculty morale is strained. Republican legislators have signaled they will use confirmation hearings for unconfirmed regents as leverage [6]. And the upcoming gubernatorial election means any permanent president hired in the next year could face an entirely different board within two to three years.

No specific candidates for the interim or permanent role have been publicly named. The pool may be limited: the firing's political optics and the system's structural challenges could deter candidates who prefer stability.

Impact on Students, Faculty, and Staff

The UW System serves approximately 165,000 students across its 25 campuses and employs tens of thousands of faculty and staff [6]. The immediate operational impact of a presidential firing is limited — individual campuses are run by their chancellors, and day-to-day instruction continues regardless of who occupies the system president's office.

The longer-term risks are more significant. The system's budget request of $855 million for the 2025–26 biennium — which Rothman said would prevent further campus closures — now lacks its chief advocate [11]. The branch campuses already closed or slated for closure served rural communities with few alternative higher education options. Students at remaining branch campuses facing enrollment decline — including UW-Stevens Point at Wausau, which is relocating to a technical college campus for fall 2026 — face continued uncertainty [10].

The Board of Regents had been exploring structural responses to enrollment decline, including a proposal to allow three-year bachelor's degrees with 90 credits instead of 120 — a significant policy shift aimed at reducing costs and time-to-degree for students [13]. Whether this initiative advances, stalls, or is abandoned during the leadership transition remains unclear.

A System Under Pressure

The firing of Jay Rothman is not an isolated event but a symptom of compounding pressures on the University of Wisconsin System: declining enrollment driven by demographic shifts, state funding that ranks among the lowest per student in the nation, federal funding uncertainty, campus closures that erode access in rural areas, and a political environment in which university governance has become a proxy war for broader ideological conflicts [14][11].

The board that fired Rothman may believe it acted in the system's best interest. The legislators who condemned the firing may be right that it was politically motivated. Both things can be true simultaneously. What is clear is that the UW System's next president will inherit all of Rothman's problems and one additional one: the knowledge that this board, or a future one reshaped by a different governor, can end a presidency in 30 minutes without telling anyone why.