- Newly released records show a growing divide between former UW system president Jay Rothman and the Board of Regents.
- Regents expressed concerns ranging from the system’s strategy on artificial intelligence to feeling their role was reduced to a rubber stamp.
- The board asked Rothman to resign, but he refused and challenged them to fire him, which they later did.
- After news of his potential ouster broke, Rothman received an outpouring of support, while board members did not.
Many University of Wisconsin Board of Regents members privately complained to each other in text messages about UW system president Jay Rothman in the months leading up to his ouster, according to newly released records.
Board President Amy Bogost and board member Timothy Nixon described some of the problems the board had with Rothman during a legislative hearing in April, but the nearly 500 pages of records recently obtained by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reveal a much deeper divide between Rothman and the board than was previously known.
The board’s grievances ran the gamut, from large concerns, like whether universities were prepared to lead in the era of artificial intelligence, to more petty beefs, like whether Rothman gave the board enough credit for a particular initiative.