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The Republican-controlled Wisconsin legislature continues to demand answers over why the University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents unanimously voted to oust Jay Rothman from his role as president.
A senate subcommittee hearing last week did not shed much light on why regents abruptly fired Rothman without “a single note, memo, or record to support their decision,” state Sen. Rob Hutton said in his GOP address April 17.
“Even the smallest private employer has to maintain thorough records for the most routine personnel decisions. The public deserves at least that level of transparency when it comes to one of our state’s most important institutions,” Hutton said, adding the “firing has damaged confidence in the institution and created many unanswered questions at this critical moment.”
“The Legislature’s work is not finished. We will continue to seek answers,” he said.
On April 7, the University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents unanimously voted to oust Jay Rothman from his role as president, announcing that it has “lost confidence” in his ability to lead the school system.
While the Board of Regents did show thanks for Rothman’s assistance in fixing structural and financial issues at campuses, it only took the group about 20 minutes to fire him, according to Wisconsin Public Radio.
However, some point to Rothman’s controversial stance on diversity, equity, and inclusion as a possible explanation for the decision.
Most significantly, in 2023 he struck a deal with Republican legislators to freeze hiring for diversity positions through 2026, eliminate statements supporting diversity on student applications, end an affirmative action faculty hiring program, and create a position focused on conservative thought, as reported by the Associated Press.
Rothman said he was “blindsided” after asking and being rejected any reason for the decision.
“They were not able to articulate any,” he said in an interview with the Associated Press.
In response to his firing, journalists, professors, and politicians took to the media to weigh in.
State Sen. Patrick Testin, a Republican from Stevens Point, wrote “make no mistake about it, the firing of UW President Rothman is a blatant partisan hatchet job.”
“Despite his efforts to enact meaningful reforms… Board of Regents apparently believe President Rothman should be punished for not being liberal enough.”
As a result, state Sen. Testin called on the Senate to reject every single one of the Board of Regents confirmations because “as they say, actions have consequences.”
Center-right journalist Andrew Ngo wrote that the Board of Regents “fired its president as revenge for him making concessions to Republican lawmakers by pausing DEI hiring.”
On the other hand, Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers defended the Board of Regents in a news release, claiming it decided to remove Rothman and begin a search for a new president “after growing dissatisfied with his work performance.”
The Democratic governor also claimed that “years of Republican attacks on higher education” and partisan politics have threatened the UW System.
The College Fix reached out to the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the Office of Governor Evers, the University of Wisconsin System, and the University of Wisconsin System Office of the President. None replied.
Professor Trevor Tomesh, an assistant professor of computer, information, and data science at the University of Wisconsin–River Falls, called Rothman’s removal “absolutely scandalous” on X.
“My guess is that they want to get rid of him (a moderate) so that they can replace him with a far-left president who will be able to oppose a possible Republican governor come November,” he wrote.
Tomesh was speaking on behalf of himself and not his employer.
In a statement to The College Fix, he said that in his personal opinion the “the firing of President Rothman is a fairly complex situation.”
He told The Fix, “while I cannot say definitively that the decision was politically motivated, it is clear that some individuals—particularly on the political left—welcomed the outcome for political reasons.”
It was likely due to his role in moving the Universities of Wisconsin away from “problematic DEI policies” and replacing them with a more merit-based approach, he said.
With a budget of almost $8 billion, the 13 public universities which make up the UW System serve more than 164,600 students and award more than 37,000 degrees annually.
Tomesh said he believes that “President Rothman did a commendable job navigating a difficult period for the university system, especially given declining enrollment and ongoing budget pressures.”
He said that “according to the Board of Regents, there is a privacy clause in President Rothman’s contract. Unless he chooses to waive that clause, it is difficult to speak with certainty about the motivations behind his removal.”
When asked by AP if he will file a lawsuit, Rothman replied: “We’ll have to see how circumstances develop. … I don’t think it’s likely that I would go in that direction. That’s not who I am.”
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