The University’s Board of Supervisors voted Thursday to appoint University of South Carolina Provost William Tate as the University’s next president.
Tate is the first Black university president in the history of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). 
A press conference with Tate and Chair of the Board of Supervisors Robert Dampf will be held at the Lod Cook Alumni Center.
The search process for a candidate for the permanent presidential position began in November with the creation of the Presidential Search Committee. The board narrowed down the original list of 23 candidates to the three finalists who interviewed Thursday. 
Tate served as the dean of the graduate school at Washington University in St. Louis for 18 years before becoming provost at South Carolina, a position he held for just one year. 
This story will be updated as more information becomes available.