Wisconsin's public university system is abruptly changing leaders—and not saying why, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports. In a closed-door session that lasted about 30 minutes on April 7, the Universities of Wisconsin Board of Regents unanimously voted to fire system president Jay Rothman, ending a tense standoff after he said he was being pushed to step down without a clear explanation; he refused to do so. Board President Amy Bogost cited months of "good-faith" discussions and said Rothman had ample notice, but offered no specific reasons at the brief public meeting. Rothman, hired in 2022 as an "at-will" president and a rare outsider to public higher ed, countered that his most recent review was verbally positive and that he was barred from addressing regents before the vote.
The secrecy has triggered backlash—particularly from conservatives. GOP lawmakers who chair key higher-education committees announced hearings to scrutinize the regents, most of whom are unconfirmed and could themselves be removed. Some questioned whether the board skirted open-meetings law through private, piecemeal discussions. A government-transparency advocate said it's unclear if the law was broken but criticized the lack of a public rationale. Business group Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce backed Rothman, calling his removal "capricious" and possibly partisan. Democratic Gov. Tony Evers, who the AP reports appointed all of the current regents, stayed out of the fray, saying only: "It's their call." Vice president for university relations Chris Patton was named acting executive-in-charge.
The New York Times reports Rothman and the board had "previously tussled" over Rothman's concessions to GOP lawmakers—including halting diversity, equity, and inclusion or DEI positions—and that some faculty members were also unhappy with him when he established general education requirements, cutting down on autonomy at the institutional level. The system has 13 universities.
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