BATON ROUGE - Dr. William Tate, IV will begin his tenure as president of the LSU system Tuesday, two months after being named to the position.

Tate, who previously served as Provost & Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs at the University of South Carolina, takes over from Tom Galligan. Galligan, who's returning to the Paul M. Hebert Law Center, has served as interim president since January 2020.

Tate's entry into the presidential search came after the search committee whittled down the list of 23 applicants to determine who it would interview.

Tate takes the reins as LSU works to rebuild its Title IX office after years of underfunding and failure to properly handled sexual assault and violence reports.

When he was introduced, May 6, Tate spoke about the need for a 'trauma-focused approach' when handling Title IX claims.

"If a victim comes forward, we recognize that they have been traumatized in some form or fashion," Tate said in response to a question from WBRZ during his introductory press conference.

Tate's hiring marks the first time an African American will lead a university in the Southeastern Conference.

Tate's contract, which was signed and approved by the LSU Board of Supervisors last month, runs through June 2026 and will pay him $725,000 a year.

Tate is expected to meet with the media Tuesday as he begins his first official day on the job.

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