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MADISON, Wis. — <\/span>The president of the University of Wisconsin system said in letters obtained by The Associated Press on Thursday that he has been told to either resign or be fired, but has been given no reason and won\u2019t step aside.<\/p>\n Jay Rothman<\/a>, president of the multicampus 165,000-student university system since 2022, said in a letter addressed to the head of the Board of Regents dated March 26 that he has been given no reason why regents want him to leave. <\/p>\n Rothman said he has been told that his options are to resign or retire, and that if he doesn’t then the board \u201cwas prepared to terminate my employment despite all that has been accomplished.\u201d<\/p>\n The Board of Regents held a closed emergency meeting on Wednesday night to discuss personnel matters. <\/p>\n \u201cThe Board is responsible for the leadership of the Universities of Wisconsin and is having discussions about its future,” Amy Bogost, board president, said in a statement to AP. “We don\u2019t comment on personnel matters.\u201d <\/p>\n Rothman declined to comment when reached via email on Thursday.<\/p>\n \u201cI believe my letter speaks for itself,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n In the letter addressed to Bogost, Rothman said he had not been \u201cprovided any substantive reason or reasons for the Board\u2019s finding of no confidence in my leadership.\u201d<\/p>\n Because of that, Rothman said, \u201cI am not prepared, as a matter of principle, to submit my resignation.\u201d<\/p>\n Rothman also refused to resign in a second letter sent to two other regents on Wednesday after he said they urged him to step down during a Tuesday meeting. Rothman said the regents told him if he didn\u2019t resign, the board was prepared to meet this weekend to fire him.<\/p>\n Rothman said those regents also could not give a reason for them wanting him to resign or be fired.<\/p>\n \u201cI find this process to be nearly (if not completely) indefensible,\u201d Rothman wrote.<\/p>\n Rothman said he asked for an opportunity to discuss the situation with the board and was told that would not happen.<\/p>\n Rothman’s tenure has been marked by his efforts to increase state funding amid federal cuts, debates over free speech on campus amid pro-Palestinian protests, and declining enrollment leading to eight branch campus closures.<\/p>\n Rothman raised the possibility of resigning in 2023 when the Board of Regents rejected a deal<\/a> reached with the Republican-controlled Wisconsin Legislature over diversity, equity and inclusion efforts. The board later reversed its vote<\/a> and approved the deal.<\/p>\n Rothman noted in the March letter that \u201camong so many other things,\u201d the university will need to replace the chancellor of the flagship Madison campus this year. Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin<\/a> is leaving to take the job as president of Columbia University.<\/p>\n \u201cI do not believe my resignation at this time is in the best interests of either the Universities of Wisconsin or the state of Wisconsin,\u201d Rothman said.<\/p>\n Rothman said in the letter that he has devoted his \u201cheart and soul to the mission of the Universities of Wisconsin\u201d and that he was surprised when told \u201can unidentified majority of the Board of Regents had lost confidence” in his leadership.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen I asked you to articulate reasons for the Board\u2019s conclusion and apparent lack of confidence in me, you merely noted that each Regent has his or her own perspective on the matter,\u201d Rothman wrote. \u201cYou did not provide any tangible reasons for the Board\u2019s determination.\u201d<\/p>\n Rothman, the former chair and CEO of the Milwaukee-based Foley & Lardner law firm, was chosen as UW president in 2022. He had no prior experience administering higher education.<\/p>\n His salary as UW president is $600,943.<\/p>\n The Universities of Wisconsin consists of 13 universities and several other branch campuses.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n