Messages to the Rutgers Community 

A Message From William F. Tate IV

July 1, 2025

Dear Rutgers Community,
 
I arrived at LaGuardia Airport on a warm afternoon in mid-May—the day Rutgers-New Brunswick celebrated the Class of 2025. In the car, I read the box score of Rutgers-Camden’s baseball game versus Johns Hopkins University in the NCAA regional. Great run! The ride to New Brunswick reminded me of many past trips to New York. As we crossed into New Jersey, the landscape felt unfamiliar—yet somehow recognizable. I had seen this stretch of highway before, but never through the eyes of a social scientist.
 
We reached the hotel. No one knew who I was. I decided to walk the streets of downtown New Brunswick.
 
Children laughed and played. Students in graduation attire strolled with family members, beaming with pride. The joy transparent. Their energy, familiar. It felt like the United Nations—alive with language, culture, and aspiration.
 
Suddenly, I was transported back to my youth in Chicago, walking the streets of Hyde Park. Museums. Theaters. Academic buildings. Medical centers. And most importantly—the people. Some help paint this mosaic of intellectual vibrancy; others struggle to navigate it.
 
I stopped, took it all in, and gave thanks as I realized: I am home again.
 
On that May afternoon, it was clear to me that Rutgers is different, that Rutgers has an edge—a spirit of place that fuses the pursuit of truth, excellence with empathy, courageous conversations, and ambition with access. It’s what drew me here. A university grounded in transformative research, clinical distinction, cooperative extension, public service, and ready to lead in a new era of impact.
 
When I was named Rutgers’ 22nd president in May, I talked about the Rutgers Edge. For me, this is not to create a slogan, but to define a compact:

That our scholarship will confront the state’s challenges with courage and creativity.
That our students will be equipped not just to succeed, but to serve with empathy.
That our community will flourish because we commit—together—to opportunity and bold innovation.
 
Today, as I begin my Rutgers presidency, I wear Scarlet. Not just the color, but the compact to live the Rutgers Edge.
 
With gratitude and great anticipation,
 
William F. Tate IV
President, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey