MADISON, Wis. – A former Winona State vice president, Jim Schmidt, now chancellor at UW-Eau Claire, is one of two finalists for the presidency of the whole University of Wisconsin system. The other finalist is Jay Rothman, chief executive of an international law firm in Milwaukee. Schmidt and Rothman were winnowed from 44 candidates. By statute the salary range is $522,000 and the maximum $783,000. Former Governor Tommy Thomson has been interim president after an embarrassing aborted search in 2020.
Jay Rothman.
Candidate profile
Rothman is chief executive at the law firm Foley & Lardner in Milwaukee since June 2011. He has been a member of the firm’s Management Committee since 2002. He joined Foley in 1986 and has been a partner since Fe 1994. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Marquette University and a law degree from Harvard Law School.
Jim Schmidt
Candidatet profile
Schmidt has been chancellor at UW-Eau Claire since 2013. Previously he was vice president for fund-raising and public relations at Winona State. Before that he was student affairs vice president at Riverland Community College in Austin, Minnesota. He holds an undergrad degree in political science from Winona State, a master’s in business from the St. Thomas in St. Paul, and a doctorate in educational policy from the University of Minnesota.
UW System profile
The UW system comprises 11 comprehensive universities and 13 freshman-sophomore branches. There are 165,000 students and 39,00 faculty and staff.
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