(The Center Square) – The University of Wisconsin system is moving forward with its search for a new system president as state lawmakers remain interested in why the opening exists.
The Board of Regents named UW-Superior Chancellor Renee Wachter the interim president while naming a presidential search committee that will be led by Regent Ashok Rai.
Sen. Rob Hutton, R-Brookfield, said in late April that the Legislature was not giving up on the dismissal of former President Jay Rothman. Hutton headed a committee looking into the Regents’ decision to remove Rothman and he was not pleased with the answers he received or the fact just two of 10 regents attended the hearing.
“The Regents cited performance reviews and concerns about Mr. Rothman’s style, but they had no documentation for the committee and didn’t provide a single note, memo, or record to support their decision,” Hutton said at the time. “Even the smallest private employer has to maintain thorough records for the most routine personnel decisions. The public deserves at least that level of transparency when it comes to one of our state’s most important institutions.”
Wachter is the senior-most chancellor in the University of Wisconsin system.
“Renée brings the experience, judgment, and institutional understanding this moment requires,” Bogost said in a statement. “As our longest-serving chancellor, she knows our universities, our communities, and the challenges and opportunities facing public higher education in Wisconsin. She has earned the trust and respect of colleagues across the system through steady leadership and a collaborative approach.
The committee also includes UW-Parkside Chancellor Lynn Akey, UW-Stout Chancellor Katherine Frank, UW-Milwaukee Chancellor Thomas Gibson, incoming UW-Eau Claire Chancellor Edwin Martini, UW-Madison Provost John Zumbrunnen and Regents Angela Adams, Jim Kreuser, Tom Palzewicz, Joan Prince and Sara Rogers.
