The Universities of Wisconsin Board of Regents voted unanimously to fire system president Jay Rothman after he declined to resign quietly when asked by board leadership. The board said the termination followed Rothman’s annual performance review and subsequent discussions, while it declined to publicly detail reasons. Rothman told The Associated Press he was “blindsided” and said he still has not been given substantive explanations. Regent President Amy Bogost said the decision reflected discussions over months and was about the future leadership needs of the 13-university system. The firing further intensifies scrutiny on system governance processes—particularly for performance-review transparency, board authority, and how disputes are handled when regents act largely in closed session.