BATON ROUGE - LSU President William Tate is stepping down from his post at the university. 

LSU announced Tate's departure in an email Monday. His last day of presidency will be June 30 and he will accept the presidential position at Rutgers University in New Jersey. 

Tate said the decision was not one he made lightly and that he was honored to have been part of LSU for four years. He served as the president since July 1, 2021. 

During his tenure, LSU said the university "soared" in research growth. In the 2023-24 academic year, LSU's Baton Rouge, Shreveport and New Orleans campuses achieved a record-breaking $543 million in combined research activity. 

Tate's tenure at Rutgers starts on July 1. An interim president will be announced "shortly," LSU said, and the national search for a permanent president will begin. 

Governor Jeff Landry said that the move is "evidently something that President Tate has been looking at for some time." He thanked Tate for his service and wished him the best.