LSU has named its interim president

Matt Lee, vice president for agriculture and dean at LSU’s College of Agriculture, has been tapped to serve as LSU’s interim president.

Before joining LSU’s AgCenter and College of Agriculture, Lee served in several leadership capacities at the university, including interim executive vice president and provost; vice provost for academic programs and support services; and senior associate vice president in the Office of Research and Economic Development.

Current LSU President William Tate IV announced Monday morning that he is leaving LSU after four years at the helm to serve as president of Rutgers University in New Jersey.

A national search for Tate’s permanent replacement is expected to kick off in the near future.

Tate will start his new job at Rutgers on July 1. He is taking over for Jonathan Holloway, who announced in September that he would step down when his contract ends on July 1. News of Tate’s departure comes just days after it was announced that LSU Provost Roy Haggerty is leaving the university to serve as provost of Oregon State, where he previously taught and served as dean.

When asked about Tate’s move, Mayor Sid Edwards sent Daily Report the following statement via email:

“I want to thank President William Tate for his service and leadership at Louisiana State University. His contributions to higher education and the Baton Rouge community have been meaningful, and I wish him the very best in his future endeavors.”

LSU Board of Supervisors Chair Scott Ballard shared similar sentiments in a statement issued Monday morning.

“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 past four years,” Ballard’s statement reads. “We wish him well on his journey and will always consider him a Tiger.”

For his part, Tate called the decision to leave LSU a “distinctly difficult” one.

“LSU, its students, faculty, staff and supporters are all incredible and inspirational,” Tate’s own statement reads. “You will forever stay in my heart. This is a very special place, and I am honored to have been a part of it for four incredible years. There’s no other place like it in the world, and I will forever cherish the memories we created together.”