Jonathan Holloway, the first Black president of Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey, has announced his intent to step down at the conclusion of this academic year and return to a full-time faculty position. He plans to take a sabbatical for the 2025-2026 year, and will return the following year to focus on research projects prior to beginning his faculty position.
Dr. Holloway assumed the presidency of Rutgers University at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in July 2020, becoming the first Black president in the university’s over 250-year history. During his five year tenure, the university has experienced record undergraduate enrollment, exceeded its fundraising goals, and expanded its medical academic programming and infrastructure. However, over the same time period, the university has experienced national controversy because of its response to the pro-Palestine protests on campus and a subsequent faculty strike.
“There is plenty to do before I complete my term and I remain focused on that work, especially that which is committed to the connections between Rutgers and civic preparedness and civil discourse,” stated Dr. Holloway. “But whatever the topic, I remain steadfast in my belief that Rutgers is on the rise and is earning the respect it has long deserved. I look forward to seeing it flourish in the years ahead.”
Before he assumed the Rutgers University presidency, Dr. Holloway spent three years as provost of Northwestern University in Illinois. Earlier in his career, he was a member of the Yale faculty for nearly two decades, ultimately serving as dean of Yale College and the Edmund S. Morgan Professor of African American Studies, History, and American Studies. He has authored several books throughout his career, most recently African American History: A Very Short Introduction (Oxford University Press, 2023).
Dr. Holloway holds a bachelor’s degree in American studies from Stanford University in California and a Ph.D. in history from Yale University.
