LSU President William F. Tate IV is departing the university to become the next president of Rutgers. LSU confirmed the news Monday morning.

“This was a distinctly difficult decision, and one I did not take lightly,” Tate said in a statement released by LSU. “LSU, its students, faculty, staff, and supporters are all incredible and inspirational.”

Rutgers’ Board of Trustees voted to confirm Tate Monday, and Tate then delivered a brief speech to the board, highlighting his desire to emphasize the “Rutgers edge” and enhance the university’s campus life and athletics.

Tate’s last day at LSU will be June 30, and he’ll start at Rutgers July 1. The interim president will be Matt Lee, currently the vice president for agriculture and dean of the College of Agriculture.

“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,” LSU Board of Supervisors Chairman Scott Ballard said in LSU’s statement. “We wish him well on his journey and will always consider him a Tiger.”

Tate arrived at LSU in 2021 as the university’s first Black president. Before that, he was the provost at South Carolina.

Tate’s agenda as president included aiming for the university to become a top-50 research university and gain Association of American University accreditation. Under him, the university’s research spending grew to a record $543 million in 2023-24.

Tate has publicly pushed against ongoing federal initiatives like cutting National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding for universities and downsizing the U.S. Department of Education, penning several op-eds.

LSU has seen many university higher-ups depart in the last few months, with General Counsel Winston Decuir and Executive Vice President for Finance and Chief Administrative Officer Kimberly Lewis resigning. Provost Roy Haggerty will also soon leave the university, it was reported in April.