MADISON – The Universities of Wisconsin affirmed their commitment to prioritizing AI readiness by presenting the Board of Regents today with a framework that creates a clear roadmap to ensure their students, universities, and Wisconsin’s workforce remain competitive as artificial intelligence (AI) continues to reshape the economy.
These guidelines proactively establish future readiness for all graduates, safeguard institutional data and academic integrity, articulate strong ethical and instructional standards, support operational efficiency across the system, and ensure the budget process going forward includes the infrastructure investments needed to stay ahead of rapid technological change.
UWs President Jay Rothman reiterated the following key priorities:
- Preparing students for an AI-enabled world by emphasizing durable skills such as critical thinking, communication, adaptability, problem-solving, and AI literacy guided by strong ethical standards;
- Using AI to support enrollment, student success, degree completion, career readiness, and administrative applications;
- Supporting faculty and instructors with professional development and trusted AI tools for teaching and research;
- Establishing an AI Hub to support technology procurement, monitor emerging trends, ensure best practice sharing, and facilitating compliance;
- Improving operational efficiency while recognizing that AI complements but does not replace human judgment and experience; and
- Supporting Wisconsin through broad AI literacy efforts while convening partners across business, entrepreneurship, and workforce development.
“We know that the world of AI is rapidly evolving and our response to technological changes and other advancements must likewise be both timely and flexible,” Rothman said.
Regent President Amy Bogost emphasized that a priority that should be underscored as the UWs considers options regarding AI is the Board’s responsibility to work with the UWs on behalf of students. “That includes ensuring student expectations are met, that AI literacy is prioritized across disciplines, and that graduates are prepared not only to use new tools but to think critically and ethically about them.”
She added that this, in turn, raises important questions about how the Board can continue to champion the resources necessary to support this work through professional development, infrastructure, and thoughtful investment, so that innovation is sustainable and equitable across the system.
Rothman noted that the UWs – with input from the Board – are developing high-level guidance to help inform how AI is approached in the classroom. Such guidelines include: faculty and staff establishing clear, transparent, and context-specific syllabus policies governing the use of AI in any particular course; instructors modeling the behavior they expect by being transparent about their use of AI in course preparation, generating syllabus materials, or drafting communications; safeguarding data privacy, security, and intellectual property; enabling students to become AI literate and ready to meet the current and future expectations of employers; and establishing governance frameworks that are adaptable to rapidly evolving technology.
The UWs are also preparing a 2027-2029 budget request related to AI that would support implementation of the guidelines.
The Regents discussed the variety of challenges surrounding the expanded use of AI across the UWs, acknowledging the rapid and continuous pace of change in AI’s development adds urgency to the broad calls for additional guidelines and protocols.
That the scope and scale of how AI is used not only varies widely between campuses but also within a campus creates further ambiguity in setting guidelines and protocols for AI use, several Regents noted. The key role of investments to support professional development and infrastructure needs was generally recognized.
“These things are changing in a nanosecond, every day,” Bogost said. “We are trying to develop guidelines and perhaps a policy. We have to be really careful that we know what we’re doing from a governance standpoint … It’s complicated and messy but I agree, we’ve got to develop this quickly.”
Regent President’s Report
Regent President Amy Bogost offered Board members an update on ongoing chancellor searches. She opened with the news that Robert Brinkmann was approved by the Board last week as the new Chancellor of UW-Stevens Point. He will take the helm as the university’s 16th leader effective July 1st.
- See the UWs Feb. 25, 2026, news release, “Robert Brinkmann named chancellor of UW-Stevens Point”
She told Regents there has also been good progress with the chancellor search at UW-Eau Claire. She said members of the search and screen committee, led by chair Regent Karen Walsh and vice chair Professor Arthur Groethe, are preparing to interview semifinalists later this month.
Plans for identifying the next chancellor for UW-Madison will be announced in coming months.
Bogost also told Board members that the latest Regents Business Partnership Awards were recently presented to UW-La Crosse and two healthcare companies – Emplify Health by Gunderson and Mayo Clinic Health Systems.
“Both companies have close ties to the university, including through internships, research collaborations, and clinical work – not to mention the frequent hiring of UWL graduates,” she said. Bogost noted that both companies were enthusiastic and valuable supporters of UWL’s Prairie Springs Science Center Phase II project.
UWs President’s Report
President Jay Rothman opened his report to the Board with several legislative updates. Starting on the federal side, he said the UWs have been grateful to see Congress reject most of the proposed reductions in FY26 funding to higher education, ranging from student financial aid and loans to research funding.
Rothman said the UWs have already begun engaging Wisconsin’s Congressional delegation on the importance of sustained investments in higher education for FY27.
“Investments in programs like the Pell Grant, Federal Work Study, and other federal financial aid programs are critical to ensuring continued access and success for those students who choose to pursue higher education,” Rothman said. He added that sustained funding related to research not only fosters discoveries that benefit all Wisconsinites and citizens across the country but it absolutely critical to the vibrancy of Wisconsin.
On the state side, with the State Legislature approaching the end of the 2025-26 legislative session, the UWs’ focus is already on preparation for the 2027-29 biennial budget cycle. “It is imperative that we remain focused on clearly communicating the value of our mission,” Rothman said.
In that spirit, Rothman said the UWs recently convened their first event of 2026 as a part of the UW Involvement Network, or UWIN, as sponsored by the Greater Eau Claire Chamber of Commerce, HeartWorks, and UW-Eau Claire.
That event brought together more than 80 participants, including UW-Eau Claire faculty and staff, local business and community leaders, and a strong representation of Blugold alumni.
“What was especially meaningful was hearing directly from young professionals about the role UW-Eau Claire played in shaping their lives and careers,” Rothman said. “There is no stronger affirmation of our impact than graduates who are applying what they learned to solve real-world problems for Wisconsin employers and communities.”
The event marks the beginning of a broader, statewide effort through UWIN. “By telling our story clearly, and by letting others tell it through their lived experiences, we strengthen understanding of the value our universities provide,” he said.
Rothman closed his report by calling attention to the annual Research in the Rotunda event coming up at the Capitol on March 11. The event, now in its 22nd year, showcases how undergraduate research transforms learning, he said.
“Projects like the ones on display at the Capitol next week give students hands-on experience identifying real-world challenges and applying innovative thinking, data analysis, and problem-solving to develop solutions,” Rothman said. “Along the way, our students gain exactly the skills that employers across Wisconsin tells us they need: critical thinking, adaptability, and the ability to contribute from day one.”
This year’s event features nearly 90 projects and approximately 125 student researchers from all 13 UW universities.
In other business, the Regents:
- Approved proposed revisions to Regent Policy Document (RPD) 4-12, Academic Program Planning, Review, and Approval in the University of Wisconsin System. The proposed revisions update policy to include commonly accepted minimum credit hour requirements for degree types (e.g., associate, bachelor, master) conferred by UW institutions. The revisions also allow for the development of academic degree programs that are less than the minimum credit hour requirements when justified. The proposed changes align with the revised Higher Learning Commission (HLC) assumed practices that went into effect on September 1, 2025, and allow UW institutions the opportunity to develop reduced credit bachelor’s degree programs;
- Approved an IT project and its addition to the UW Strategic Plan for Major IT Projects. The new project supports implementation of the policies created for core general education requirements. The scope of the two-and-a-half-year project, budgeted at just under $4 million, includes updating degree audits, mapping course attributes, revising equivalencies, and automating transcript exchange in order to accelerate transfer credit evaluations and improve the student experience;
- Approved a UW-Milwaukee agreement with Collegiate Licensing Company. Following a request-for-proposal process which selected CLC to continue serving as UWM’s licensing partner, the parties negotiated an eight-year agreement with a royalty rate to UWM of 80%, estimated to generate an additional $1.5 million to the university;
- In the Business & Finance Committee, received the 2025 Q4 report from the UW Office of Trust Funds. As of December 31, assets in the SWIB-managed portfolios totaled $715 million, with gains in the Long Term Fund of 2.5%. Assets in the Intermediate Term Fund totaled $793 million after returning 1.5% for that quarter, performing in-line with its benchmark.
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The next meeting of the Board of Regents for the Universities of Wisconsin will be by videoconference on April 20, 2026.