Rutgers Names New President To Succeed Holloway, Who Will Resign In June

NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ — Rutgers has named a new president. William Tate IV, 60, was selected by the Rutgers Board of Governors to be the new university president, Rutgers announced Monday. Tate is the current president of Louisiana State University.

Tate, who got his start as a professor, has been president of Louisiana State University since 2021, according to information shared by Rutgers. At LSU, Tate holds faculty appointments in sociology, psychiatry and behavioral medicine, epidemiology, and population and public health.

Tate was chosen after the Board of Governors launched a nationwide search to find someone to take the top job after current Rutgers President Jonathan Holloway made the surprising announcement last September he would resign as university president.

The Rutgers Board of Governors and Rutgers Board of Trustees approved Tate’s appointment Monday at a joint meeting of the two boards.

Holloway's last day will be June 30; Tate will take over as Rutgers president July 1.

Tate’s yearly base salary will be $1.1 million, and his contract includes opportunities for hundreds of thousands of dollars in bonuses each year, according to Rutgers. Tate is eligible for incentive compensation where he will be paid up to 32 percent of his base pay the first year, based on performance evaluation and "achievement of predetermined specific goals and objectives," said Rutgers Monday.

As university president, Tate will also be responsible for attracting large-money donors to Rutgers.

Like Rutgers, LSU is a sprawling state university that has more than 55,000 students, including 12,000 graduate students, and employs thousands. Similar to Rutgers, LSU also operates university hospitals and medical schools. Tate is also experienced in running a large university that competes on a Division-1 athletic level: LSU is a member of the Southeastern Conference, whereas Rutgers is in the Big Ten Conference.

Holloway's contract with Rutgers did not have an end date, but its terms called for serving at least five years, which he did. When Holloway announced he would be resigning, Rutgers formed a 20-person search committee to interview and find a new president. That committee was formed of current Rutgers students, staff, faculty and alumni. The search committee was chaired by Rutgers Board of Governors Chair Amy Towers and Alberto Cuitiño, dean of the School of Engineering.

Gov. Murphy's name was even floated to take over Rutgers, but he apparently was not interested in the job.

"We sought a transformative leader who embodies Rutgers’ values and our multi-campus identity," said Towers. "Someone who is intentional, collaborative and unafraid to think big. I am confident that Dr. Tate’s strategic vision and approach to leadership make him very much the right leader at the right moment for Rutgers."

Tate got his start in academia: His first professor job was as a tenured faculty member at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He also taught at Texas Christian University, where he was the William L. and Betty F. Adams Chair. Before joining LSU, Tate was executive vice president for academic affairs and provost at the University of South Carolina. Prior to that, he was a vice provost for graduate education at Washington University in St. Louis, from 2002 to 2020.

Tate earned a bachelor of science degree in economics with a minor in mathematical sciences from Northern Illinois University, a master of arts degree in mathematical sciences education from the University of Texas at Dallas and a Ph.D. in mathematics education with a cognate in human development from the University of Maryland, College Park. He completed a second postdoctoral fellowship at the Washington University School of Medicine, where he earned a master of psychiatric epidemiology degree.

When Holloway announced last fall he was quitting, he told the Star Ledger his decision to quit was partly due to the criticism he received on the job, in addition to security risks to his wife and children during the 2024 professors' strike and Palestinian solidarity camps on campus.

"These jobs are difficult in good times but when you’re facing absolutely no-win situations constantly, in this era of hyperbole about failing to do X, Y, and Z … none of us signed up for that," Holloway said at the time. "Just like I didn’t sign up to have a police detail with me everywhere I go."

RELATED: Rutgers President Holloway Announces He Will Resign At End Of Year (Sept. 2024)

Murphy's Name Floated To Take Over Rutgers, But He's Not Interested: Report (April 2025)