If you are looking for an insight on why the University of Wisconsin Board of Regents fired Universities of Wisconsin President Jay Rothman, reflect back on how he went about closing eight of 13 two-year colleges across the state
Jay Rothman
Take West Bend, for example. Without ever visiting Washington County, he pushed UW-Milwaukee Chancellor Mark Mone to shut down the campus at the end of the school year in 2024. He never consulted with community leaders, parents, students or leaders of the city or county, which owned the campus.
He disregarded a local task force report that recommended consolidation of UWM-WC with Moraine Park Technical College that has a two-year campus four miles away. That consolidation would have created a community college that offers technical and liberal arts education side-by-side. Six already do well in the state.
He didn’t consider creative options, such as absorbing juniors and seniors in high school through dual credits courses.
He never considered using the two-year colleges at locations for solving the state’s shortage of nurses.
In short, he used an axe instead of a wand.
In a highly unusual and obtuse move, Rothman preempted a final decision by the full board by issuing a letter to the board stating that he was not going to resign without a fight. Saying he was “profoundly disappointed” by the decision, he maintained he was given no reason for asking to him to either retire, resign with 120 days’ notice or be terminated.
“I do not believe my resignation at this time is in the best interest of the Universities of Wisconsin or the state of Wisconsin,” he wrote in his letter that went public. It was probably leaked. He wanted to keep his professional reputation intact.
Amy Bogost
Rothman was informed of the board’s desires by Regent President Amy Bogost and Vice President Kyle Weatherly, when they met with him on March 28.
In his letter, Rothman cited a long list of incremental improvements over his three and a half years in office, including increases in state funding for operations and capital investments for new projects.
He had asked for $800 million in the state’s two-year budget and $1.7 billion in capital expenditures. In a compromise with Republican legislative leaders in which he agreed to trim back the UW’s DEI policies (diversity, equity, inclusion), he got a welcome increase of $256 million in operating funds and $1.2 billion for the biennium in building money. He bumped student tuition by 4-5%.
As examples of his leadership, he also cited a new direct admission policy and expanded dual enrollment offerings for eligible high school students.
Give him credit for those positive actions. And cut him some slack since he has faced long-term declines in enrollments at all campuses, except for UW-Madison.
That said, his improvements could not be called big and bold. His strategic plan for 2023 through 2028 did not address these large scale issues:
- A possible spin-off of UW Health, its Quartz Health Insurance subsidiary, and its hospital outside of Wisconsin in Rockford, Illinois. Other major universities have retained their medical schools as educational assets, but have spun off the operating health care entities. The revenues of UW Health now exceed those of the rest of the university system. It is beginning to look like a hospital corporation with the university as a subsidiary, instead of the other way around.
- He ducked the option of spinning out UW-Madison from the UW System as a global leader in research and development and the possible reorganization of the other 12 four-year universities on a regional basis.
- He ignored the frustration of parents of high-achieving high school students who were rejected at the flagship UW-Madison. Opting for the higher tuition paid by out-of-state and international students, UW-Madison now has only 45% in-state enrollment. Other state flagships have 75% or more in-state enrollment.
- Rothman did win a major expansion of the engineering school at UW-Madison, but did not match it with a major commitment to engineering at UW-Milwaukee, in the heart of the state’s business community with many more engineering jobs.
- Except for internal UW-associated funding, the level of federal and business R&D funding at UW-Madison has declined compared to other major R&D universities.
Citizens of Wisconsin may never know what triggered the regents’ dissatisfaction with Rothman’s performance. So he has a point. He deserves to know what the regents believe to be his gaps in performance. Understand, though, that it is considered bad form to trash an employee on the way out the door.
One piece of cynical conjecture is predicated on the possibility that the majority of regents want to appoint a more liberal president who aligns with their liberal agendas.
That conjecture aligns with the possibility that the Democrats will pull off a Trump-assisted trifecta of victories for governor and majorities in both chambers of the legislature.
Liberals consolidated their control of the third branch of government Tuesday when Chris Taylor, an aggressive liberal, won a seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court.
Control of the high court, possibly both houses of the legislature and UW leadership would mean “Happy Days Are Here Again” for Democrats – Very Happy Days.
