LSU President William Tate leaving for Rutgers University

BATON ROUGE, La. (Louisiana First) — LSU President William F. Tate IV is leaving the university to take a job to lead Rutgers University.

On Monday morning, the Rutgers Board of Governors approved the hiring of Tate to replace Jonathan Holloway. Tate will be Rutgers’ 22nd President.

“This was a distinctly difficult decision, and one I did not take lightly. LSU, its students, faculty, staff, and supporters are all incredible and inspirational. You will forever stay in my heart. This is a very special place, and I am honored to have been a part of it for four incredible years,” said Tate. “There’s no other place like it in the world, and I will forever cherish the memories we created together.”

Tate was named LSU president in May 2021 by the Board of Supervisors, making history as the first Black president in the Southeastern Conference. LSU confirmed he will take over as president of Rutgers University on July 1, 2025. NJ.com reports that Tate will oversee over 69,000 students on three campuses and a $5 billion annual budget.

“We are saddened by President Tate’s departure but grateful for the deep and meaningful impact his leadership left on the LSU enterprise over the last four years,” said LSU Board of Supervisors Chairman Scott Ballard. “We wish him well on his journey and will always consider him a Tiger.”

“This is evidently something that President Tate has been looking at for some time. I thank him for his service and wish him well at Rutgers!” Gov. Jeff Landry said.

Tate touted a Scholarship First Agenda that puts LSU on a path to increasing research activity, especially in agriculture, biomedical, coast, energy and defense/cybersecurity. Baton Rouge, New Orleans and Shreveport campuses had a record $543 million in research activity for 2023-24.

According to LSU, other highlights include historic fundraising capped by the largest gift in the university’s history, with $245 million for health initiatives, record enrollment of over 55,000 students, record-breaking graduate rates and record research growth.

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