William F. Tate IV Becomes First Black President At LSU

Louisiana State University (LSU) selected Dr. William F. Tate as the new president of the university. This makes him the first black person to be president of a Southeastern Conference school.

William Tate, who was former provost of the University of South Carolina, also the first black person to be so, was nominated alongside other aspirants like Dr. James B. Henderson, who's University of Louisiana System President, and Dr. Kevin Droegemeier, a professor at the University of Oklahoma.

23 candidates were on the initial list for president, and after a heavy interview by the school which went on for days, the list was streamlined to three finalists of which Tate was selected. 

With a long background as an educator, a Ph.D. in Mathematics Education from the University of Maryland, numerous published research papers (the most for a finalist), and a list of other accomplishments, Dr. William Tate has extensive qualifications for this role. 

"This is a very pivotal time at our university, from economic, environmental, social challenges, but we are doing great things at this place. From our academic achievements, our enrollment, our diversity, I'm very proud of what we've accomplished," LSU Board Chair Robert Dampf said. "We set about to find a great leader, and we found one.

In a statement to Newsweek, Tate said,

"What I'm really most excited about is I met students here who really are amazing, and for me, this position is all about what we can do to help students and give people access and opportunity in higher education."

"That's really in my DNA, how do we help people regardless of their background – we find the money, get you here and give you the opportunity to live your dream," he added. "I think there is no better place in the United States to come find your dream and to make it happen then right here at LSU."

The new president is expected to resume in July, replacing Tom Galligan, who became the university's interim president in January 2020 and has been president ever since. 

Some of the challenges Dr. Tate will face include a pending sexual misconduct case, that has shaken the institution. The university has been accused of several cases of mishandling sexual assault complaints from its female students, one of such involved two of its former football stars.

Dr. Tate himself has come under criticism in the past at the University of South Carolina over the handling of a case of sexual misconduct. The professor has however defended his stance, making it clear that the member of staff involved was dismissed and assured of his commitment to dismiss any faculty member who is involved in a similar case, whether they have tenure or not.