The UW Board of Regents has unanimously voted to fire UW President Jay Rothman effective immediately, saying it had “lost confidence” in Rothman’s leadership.

Board members deliberated in closed session for around 25 minutes this afternoon before casting the vote. 

Before the vote, Board President Amy Bogost read from a statement she issued yesterday.

“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 said.

No other regent spoke.

Rothman, who led the Milwaukee-based Foley & Lardner law firm, took office as system president in June 2022 and was paid an annual salary of $600,943.

In a statement released minutes after the meeting adjourned, the board said it is “grateful for President Rothman’s service and recognizes the meaningful work undertaken during his tenure.”

“He worked hard to bring the best to the campuses, students, faculty, and staff. Those efforts and that dedication are acknowledged and appreciated,” the statement read. “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 statement adds the board has “immediately” moved to identify a successor and will share more details in the coming weeks. Vice President for University Relations Chris Patton will serve as acting executive ahead of the appointment of an interim president.

GOP Sen. Rob Hutton of Brookfield released a statement after the vote criticizing the board’s decision.

“Instead of focusing on major structural and curriculum reforms throughout the entire system, the Regents seem determined to stray into backroom maneuvering that further diminishes the reputation of the UW brand and undermines its long-term mission of preparing our students for an ever-changing marketplace,” Hutton said. 

The public first learned that Rothman’s position was in jeopardy last week when the Associated Press reported on a letter sent by the system president to Bogost refusing to resign, which came in response to a request by Bogost and other regents to do so or be fired. 

Rothman claimed in two letters sent to regents that he has not been provided a reason why the board has sought his removal.

Bogost said in a statement yesterday that regents have engaged in “good-faith discussions over several months” with Rothman following a performance review. 

Republicans in the state Legislature have vowed to investigate Rothman’s firing even before the decision was made.

Hutton, who chairs the Senate Universities and Technical Colleges Committee, has noticed a Thursday public hearing and executive session on 10 regents, including Bogost.

President Pro Tempore Sen. Patrick Testin, R-Stevens Point, today called on the Senate to reject all of Evers’ nominations, after saying it should do so if Rothman is removed “without just cause.”

“As they say, actions have consequences,” Testin wrote in a statement.

He also called Rothman’s firing a “blatant partisan hatchet job” and said Rothman was fired for “not being liberal enough.”

The Senate hasn’t yet confirmed 10 of Dem Gov. Tony Evers’ nominations to the board, including Bogost, and has in the past rejected Evers’ appointments to the board. Sixteen of the 18-member board have been appointed by Evers; state Superintendent Jill Underly and Tech College Board President Sara Rogers served as regents because of their positions. 

Evers has declined to weigh in on whether Rothman should be fired.

GOP Rep. Dave Murphy, who chairs the Assembly Colleges and Universities Committee, has also said he plans to call regents to testify in a hearing at a forthcoming date.  

Seven UW chancellors have left the 22-campus, 165,000-student university system since Rothman took office nearly four years ago.

In comparison, nine chancellors left in the eight years before that.

Four of the chancellors who left since Rothman’s term began in mid-2022 resigned or have announced their resignation to take roles at other universities, including two UW-Madison leaders, Rebecca Blank and current Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin. Mnookin will lead Columbia University starting this summer; Blank died before taking over the top job at Northwestern. 

UW-Milwaukee and UW-Oshkosh chancellors Mark Mone and Andrew Leavitt stepped down in 2024 and 2025 and returned to teaching positions at their respective institutions, while UW-La Crosse Chancellor Joe Gow was removed from leadership in 2023 after pornographic videos of him and his wife surfaced on adult websites. 

Rothman’s tenure has also seen five of the system’s branch campuses close, and a sixth move to online-only classes. UW-Platteville is set to close its Baraboo campus in May, while UW-Stevens Point will relocate its Marathon County campus to share space with a local technical college in the fall.