The LSU Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a three-year contract extension for President and Chancellor William Tate IV.
The 13 members of the board voted at their Friday meeting on the new contract, which offers a base salary of $750,000 and the ability for incentives that were not discussed. It is a $25,000-a-year increase of his base salary compared to his first contract.
The vote came after the board was in executive session for about 45 minutes to discuss Tate's character. Tate was hired in May 2021 and officially started in July 2021.
The board had virtually no discussion about the contract extension. Supervisor John Carmouche was the only member who made a comment, noting that he was comfortable approving the contract only because the board could vote to terminate the contract early if it was dissatisfied with Tate's performance. The contract did not have any punitive language if Tate did not meet the standards of the board, Carmouche said.
Carmouche is one of the board's newest members. He and six other Gov. Jeff Landry appointees were sworn in Friday morning. The board also swore in its student representative.
Tate is the first Black president of LSU and was the first Black president of any school in the Southeastern Conference.
Tate was hired at a time when the university's Title IX Office came under scrutiny and an investigation into the school's handling of sexual misconduct complaints found it failed to protect students.
Two Title IX lawsuits also were filed. In one, a group of students said LSU failed to properly address their complaints of sexual assault and domestic violence. The university agreed in April to settle the lawsuit for $1.9 million.
In the other lawsuit, a former employee said LSU retaliated against her for reporting misconduct. A jury dismissed that lawsuit in December.
While serving as president, Tate has seen success, and not just at the university's flagship Baton Rouge campus. Both the Alexandria and Shreveport campuses have seen record growth in enrollment. LSU also had one of its largest graduating classes in May with more than 4,800 students receiving diplomas.
LSU's research activity reached $488 million in 2023, the largest amount spent on research projects in the school's history, the university reported earlier this month.
According to Tate, generating resources for LSU is "one of the most important jobs" in his role as university president and he sees that as the greatest indicator of his success in the role. In addition to seeking state appropriations, there is also a role for private fundraising, he said after his first year on the job.