Rutgers names LSU president as its next leader

Rutgers University selected Louisiana State University President William F. Tate IV as the school’s new president Monday, ending a national search for the next leader of New Jersey’s state university.

Tate will be Rutgers’ 22nd president and oversee one of the oldest and largest universities in the nation, with more than 69,000 students on three campuses and a $5 billion annual budget.

The new president was approved by the Rutgers Board of Governors with the consent of the Rutgers Board of Trustees and introduced at a joint meeting in New Brunswick.

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“Dr. Tate is an effective communicator, is charismatic, and has a great sense of humor. He doesn’t lose sight of everyday challenges and is mindful to the welfare of others. He is down to earth, and you will find him relatable,” said Amy L. Towers, chairwoman of the Rutgers Board of Governors.

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, who attended the Rutgers meeting, said he was sold on Tate as soon as the pair spoke.

“He had me at hello,” Murphy said.

Tate, 63, said his childhood in Chicago’s Southside prepared him for the high-profile job in New Jersey. He spoke about Rutgers’ possibilities in the future.

“We stand at that edge of possible. We stand at the edge of innovation, at the edge excellence,” he said.

Tate has been president of Louisiana State University since 2021. He was the school’s first Black president. Like Rutgers, Louisiana State is a statewide university system. The school currently enrolls more than 50,000 students statewide.

He is married to Kim Cash Tate, who describes herself as “an author, Bible teacher, speaker, singer/songwriter, and YouTuber.” The couple have two children.

He will take over July 1, replacing outgoing Rutgers President Jonathan Holloway, who announced in September he would step down after five years on the job.

Tate’s base annual salary will be $1.1 million, Rutgers officials said. His contract will include opportunities for hundreds of thousands of dollars in additional bonus pay each year.

When Holloway announced he was stepping down, he had a base salary of $888,540, with bonus pay of $214,106, for a total of more than $1.1 million a year, according to his contract.

Holloway cited concerns about the safety of his family as one of his reasons for leaving after a tumultuous term that included the school’s first faculty strike, a no-confidence vote by the Rutgers University Senate and a multi-day pro-Palestinian student encampment.

Tate takes over Rutgers at a complex time as the university is facing steep funding cuts from President Donald Trump’s administration and pressures to cut diversity, equity and inclusion programs. Rutgers has also clashed with Trump officials on several issues, including attempts to revoke the visas of international students.

He will also oversee Rutgers’ struggling NCAA Division I sports program, which is also looking for a new leader to replace athletic director Patrick Hobbs after he left amid questions about his leadership.

Tate laid out a plan to recruit top athletes to Rutgers that includes creating an electric environment in SHI Stadium, home of the Rutgers football team.

“They have to walk into a place and say, ‘I want to be here,’” he said. “And if you don’t do that, it’s sort of like you’re working against yourself.”

When asked whether he would fight back against Trump administration cuts to Rutgers’ federal funding, Tate pointed to instances in which he spoke out about cuts to research.

“I will continue to be vocal about our research infrastructure,” Tate said.

He earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from Northern Illinois University, a master’s degree in mathematical sciences education from the University of Texas at Dallas, and a Ph.D. in mathematics education from the University of Maryland, according to his biography on Louisiana State’s website.

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Towers, who headed the Rutgers search, said the hunt for a new president was formally launched with excitement in January. But but soon after Trump signed an onslaught of executive orders aimed at higher education institutions.

“Our search became quite challenging the first two months, as sitting presidents and other leaders in higher education were reluctant to consider new opportunities while their own institutions were facing a crisis,” Towers said.

News that Tate will soon take the helm at Rutgers might be a surprise to many in Louisiana. Last June, Louisiana State University’s board voted to extend Tate’s contract for three additional years to June 2029.

Holloway is leaving Rutgers to take over as the next president and chief executive officer of the Henry Luce Foundation, a New York-based nonprofit started by the co-founder of Time magazine.

In addition to running the state university, the new president will take over for Holloway as Rutgers’ chief fundraiser.

Holloway was an enthusiastic fundraiser who outpaced his two predecessors in donations to the school’s endowment and other projects. In fiscal year 2024, Rutgers raised $250 million from more than 34,000 unique donors — 7,500 of whom donated to Rutgers for the first time, a Rutgers spokesperson said.

In October, Rutgers hired WittKieffer, a national search firm experienced in finding leaders for large public universities, to help find its next president. The firm agreed to be paid either $325,000 or 31% of the new president’s total first-year compensation, whichever is lower.

The lengthy search left room for speculation about who might ultimately land the job.

Several sources told NJ Advance Media last month that Murphy, the outgoing governor, was entered into the mix.

The 67-year-old governor was floated as a candidate to take the helm of the nearly 260-year-old institution and approached about applying for the job, according to multiple sources questioned last month about rumors swirling in political circles.

But Murphy allegedly said he wasn’t interested in trying to get the Rutgers job.

“I’m quite confident he’s focused on completing his term as Governor and has no interest in this role,” George Helmy, Murphy’s former chief of staff and a member of the Rutgers Board of Governors, said last month.

The job finalists were kept confidential by the search firm and the Rutgers search committee.

Those considered for the post included an “exceptional group of highly qualified candidates, including current presidents of other large public universities,” Rutgers spokeswoman Dory Devlin said.

Towers, chair of the Rutgers Board of Governors, and Alberto Cuitiño, dean of the School of Engineering, co-chaired the presidential search committee. The rest of the committee was made up of a mix of students, alumni, faculty and staff.

NJ Advance Media staff writers Brent Johnson, Steve Politi, and Ted Sherman contributed to this report.

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Liz Rosenberg may be reached at lrosenberg@njadvancemedia.com.