Universities of Wisconsin Board of Regents votes to terminate UW System president, effective April 7, 2026

The Universities of Wisconsin Board of Regents voted to adopt a resolution terminating Jay O'Rothman as president of the University of Wisconsin System, effective April 7, 2026.

The presiding officer said the board had moved into closed session under Wis. Stat. § 19.85 to consider personnel matters and then returned to open session to take the formal vote. The motion to adopt the proposed resolution was made and seconded; the second was recorded as coming from Regent Adongo in the transcript. Before the vote the presiding officer read a prepared statement describing a recent performance review of the system president and saying the board was acting out of fiduciary responsibility.

"The Universities of Wisconsin Board of Regents takes its fiduciary responsibility seriously and acts in the best interest of our students, faculty, staff, and the people of Wisconsin," the presiding officer said, noting that the board had engaged a range of stakeholders in the review and that the decision was "about the future" of higher education in the state. The statement acknowledged the president's contributions while saying the board must determine whether its leader continues to hold its confidence.

The presiding officer invited comment from regents; none were offered before the clerk conducted a roll-call vote. After the clerk completed the roll call, the presiding officer announced, "The motion carries." The meeting concluded with the presiding officer thanking attendees and adjourning.

The board invoked Wis. Stat. § 19.85 when moving to closed session; the transcript records the effective termination date as April 7, 2026. The transcript does not identify a named mover on the record, and the roll-call responses in the record are recorded as affirmative and the presiding officer announced the motion carried.