Censorship & UW Governance: “Faculty members are eager for guidelines telling them what they can and cannot do, Rainie said”
In February, several University of Wisconsin regents were so frustrated with the system’s president during a presentation on artificial intelligence that they started texting one another.
“Pulling teeth to get him to get proactive with strategy and now this is what we get,” one texted to another. The exchange, which surfaced in public records obtained this month by The Chronicle, was first reported by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Soon after, President Jay Rothman would be out of a job. At first, it was not clear why. But text messages and emails between the regents and Rothman show the extent that disagreement over what to do about AI played a role in his abrupt firing. The conflict speaks to the increasing uncertainty the technology is bringing to all levels of higher education.
“Jay telling us to question [AI’s] output and then asking AI to rank the UWs and then presenting it to us is comical,” Noah Fritz, a regent, who is a student, wrote to Jack Salzwedel, another regent, during the February board meeting. “I just leaned over and said that to Angela,” Salzwedel responded, referring to another board member. (Salzwedel resigned earlier this month due to family medical challenges.)
Ashok Rai, also a regent, listed a series of unanswered questions in a separate text to Fritz, including, “annual system spend on AI” and “what type of protections do we have, and what type of policies do we need, to make sure we are [not] feeding current platforms with proprietary information.”
“There is no regents guidelines or guardrails on AI,” Timothy Nixon, a regent, told lawmakers. “President Rothman has blocked those.”
“I was of the belief that a systemwide policy would not be helpful since each university was on top of the evolving situation,” Rothman wrote to the lawmakers. Still, in response to the regents’ feedback, he said he prepared a resolution on AI that he planned to bring to the March board meeting, but Bogost told his office not to. Instead, he wrote in the letter, “We were directed to submit guidelines for discussion at that meeting, which we did.”
Records obtained by The Chronicle show that Rothman sent a landscape analysis of AI, in the form of a set of slides to board members ahead of the February board meeting. At least part of the analysis, he said in an email to them, was generated by AI. The slides show ways other systems around the country are using AI to do their day-to-day work. Video recording of the February board meeting show that representatives from around the system gave presentations on how they were teaching about AI, using it in research, or in other ways.
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I’ve raised the question of our long-term disastrous literacy issues with various academics.
The response has mostly been head in the sand, with one prominent AI professor stating that “I’m not going to answer that question because as I want to keep this discussion positive”
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2026-2027 Madison K-12 $pending continues to grow, fueled by a 9.7% (!) property tax increase. Total spending will be at least $706,000,000 for 25,003 students, or $28,236 per student.
May 2026 Madison School District Presentation: 7,095 adults for 25,003 students (3.52 students per adult!)
Early Literacy Screener Map.
Map: Foundations of Reading Results: 2015–2024
Where have all the students gone?
3,887 Madison 4 year old to third grade students scored lower than 75% of the students in the national comparison group.
Madison taxpayers have long supported far above average k-12 tax & $pending. This despite our long term, disastrous reading results. May, 2026: 7,095 Staff for 25,003 students; $pending > $26k per student!
Madison Schools: More $, No Accountability
The taxpayer funded Madison School District long used Reading Recovery…
The data clearly indicate that being able to read is not a requirement for graduation at (Madison) East, especially if you are black or Hispanic”
A.B.T.: “Ain’t been taught.”
My Question to Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers on Teacher Mulligans and our Disastrous Reading Results
2017: West High Reading Interventionist Teacher’s Remarks to the School Board on Madison’s Disastrous Reading Results
Madison’s taxpayer supported K-12 school district, despite spending far more than most, has long tolerated disastrous reading results.
“An emphasis on adult employment”
Wisconsin Public Policy Forum Madison School District Report[PDF]
WEAC: $1.57 million for Four Wisconsin Senators
Friday Afternoon Veto: Governor Evers Rejects AB446/SB454; an effort to address our long term, disastrous reading results
Booked, but can’t read (Madison): functional literacy, National citizenship and the new face of Dred Scott in the age of mass incarceration.
When A Stands for Average: Students at the UW-Madison School of Education Receive Sky-High Grades. How Smart is That?
