Alpha Phi Alpha’s William F. Tate IV Is Now the President of Rutgers

Alpha Phi Alpha brother William F. Tate IV has officially taken office as the 22nd president of Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. Approved by the Rutgers Board of Governors and Board of Trustees earlier this year, Tate began his tenure on July 1, 2025, becoming the latest leader of one of the nation’s oldest and most prominent public universities.

According to the press release by Rutgers University, Tate brings decades of academic leadership to the role. Before arriving at Rutgers, he served as the president of the Louisiana State University (LSU) system beginning in May 2021. In that position, he was both the chief executive of the system and the chancellor of its flagship campus in Baton Rouge. He provided strategic oversight for a multi-campus system serving over 55,000 students, and held faculty roles across LSU in sociology, psychiatry and behavioral medicine, epidemiology, and population and public health.

Earlier in his career, Tate held leadership positions at the University of South Carolina and Washington University in St. Louis. At South Carolina, he was provost and executive vice president for academic affairs. At Washington University, he served as dean of the Graduate School and vice provost for graduate education.

According to Nola.com, Tate was initiated into the Epsilon Phi Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. in 1980 while an undergraduate student at Northern Illinois University. His appointment marks a significant moment of leadership representation within higher education, particularly as a member of the Divine Nine.

“When the presidential search committee began the search for Rutgers’ next president, with community input, we sought a transformative leader who embodies Rutgers’ values and our multi-campus identity,” said Amy L. Towers, chair of the Rutgers Board of Governors. “Dr. Tate is that extraordinary leader, a scholar, an innovator and a transformative force whose vision will unite academic excellence with public impact.”

Tate now succeeds Jonathan Holloway, who served as Rutgers’ president for five years. He has also been named a University Professor and Distinguished Professor at the university.

“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, The State University of New Jersey,” Towers added.