The firing squad met and executed their plan with cold precision. They refused to hear a single word from the condemned. They did not even bother to read his charges to the public before striking the blow that ended his time. This was a bureaucratic ambush, pure and simple.
By Brian Fraley, a Dairyland Sentinel Perspectives Column
Jay Rothman is officially out as President of the UW System. Unlike the typical career climbers in this sector, he came from a successful law firm rather than the insulated bubble of academia. He approached the job like a fixer. He brokered a pragmatic deal with the Legislature to secure hundreds of millions for employee raises and vital construction projects. In exchange, he agreed to shift away from rigid racial diversity benchmarks and move toward a small bit of ideological diversity.
It turns out that even one dissenting voice was too much. The establishment could not stomach a single hire who might challenge the campus groupthink or stray from the state funded orthodoxy. They took the money but failed to fulfill their end of the bargain at UW Madison. It is clear they never will.
Now that Governor Evers is packing his bags for January, his loyal appointees on the Board have decided to discard Rothman. His real sin appears to be the successful pursuit of a middle ground. In the eyes of the gatekeepers, working with both parties to benefit the state is an act of treason against the status quo.
The Board of Regents acted with a swiftness that suggests they wanted it over before anyone could ask why. By giving the public zero explanation for ousting a sitting president, they intentionally created a massive information void.
They have only themselves to blame for the speculation now filling that vacuum. If they actually have a legitimate reason for this firing, they should show some courage and explain their actions.
They need to step into the light and face the press for real questioning today.
