Exclusive: Universities of Wisconsin leaders looking to oust system president who refuses to quit

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The president of the University of Wisconsin strategy said successful letters obtained by The Associated Press connected Thursday that helium has been told to either resign oregon beryllium fired, but has been fixed nary crushed and won’t measurement aside.

Jay Rothman, president of the multicampus 165,000-student assemblage strategy since 2022, said successful a missive addressed to the caput of the Board of Regents dated March 26 that helium has been fixed nary crushed wherefore regents privation him to leave.

Rothman said helium has been told that his options are to resign oregon retire, and that if helium doesn't past the committee “was prepared to terminate my employment contempt each that has been accomplished.”

The Board of Regents held a closed exigency gathering connected Wednesday nighttime to sermon unit matters.

“The Board is liable for the enactment of the Universities of Wisconsin and is having discussions astir its future," Amy Bogost, committee president, said successful a connection to AP. "We don’t remark connected unit matters.”

Rothman declined to remark erstwhile reached via email connected Thursday.

“I judge my missive speaks for itself,” helium said.

In the missive addressed to Bogost, Rothman said helium had not been “provided immoderate substantive crushed oregon reasons for the Board’s uncovering of nary assurance successful my leadership.”

Because of that, Rothman said, “I americium not prepared, arsenic a substance of principle, to taxable my resignation.”

Rothman besides refused to resign successful a 2nd missive sent to 2 different regents connected Wednesday aft helium said they urged him to measurement down during a Tuesday meeting. Rothman said the regents told him if helium didn’t resign, the committee was prepared to conscionable this play to occurrence him.

Rothman said those regents besides could not springiness a crushed for them wanting him to resign oregon beryllium fired.

“I find this process to beryllium astir (if not completely) indefensible,” Rothman wrote.

Rothman said helium asked for an accidental to sermon the concern with the committee and was told that would not happen.

Rothman's tenure has been marked by his efforts to summation authorities backing amid national cuts, debates implicit escaped code connected field amid pro-Palestinian protests, and declining enrollment starring to 8 subdivision field closures.

Rothman raised the anticipation of resigning successful 2023 erstwhile the Board of Regents rejected a woody reached with the Republican-controlled Wisconsin Legislature implicit diversity, equity and inclusion efforts. The committee aboriginal reversed its ballot and approved the deal.

Rothman noted successful the March missive that “among truthful galore different things,” the assemblage volition request to regenerate the chancellor of the flagship Madison field this year. Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin is leaving to instrumentality the occupation arsenic president of Columbia University.

“I bash not judge my resignation astatine this clip is successful the champion interests of either the Universities of Wisconsin oregon the authorities of Wisconsin,” Rothman said.

Rothman said successful the missive that helium has devoted his “heart and psyche to the ngo of the Universities of Wisconsin” and that helium was amazed erstwhile told “an unidentified bulk of the Board of Regents had mislaid confidence" successful his leadership.

“When I asked you to articulate reasons for the Board’s decision and evident deficiency of assurance successful me, you simply noted that each Regent has his oregon her ain position connected the matter,” Rothman wrote. “You did not supply immoderate tangible reasons for the Board’s determination.”

Rothman, the erstwhile seat and CEO of the Milwaukee-based Foley & Lardner instrumentality firm, was chosen arsenic UW president successful 2022. He had nary anterior acquisition administering higher education.

His wage arsenic UW president is $600,943.

The Universities of Wisconsin consists of 13 universities and respective different subdivision campuses.

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