BY LEV D. ZILBERMINTS
NEW BRUSNWICK – Jonathan Holloway, President of Rutgers University since 2020, has announced he will step down at the end of his five-year contract in June 2025. At that point, President Holloway says in his resignation letter dated September 17, “I will take a sabbatical the following year during which I will return to long-standing research projects before joining the faculty on a full-time basis. This decision is my own and reflects my ruminations about how best to be of service.”
During his time as Rutgers President, Jonathan Holloway, 57, had to deal with numerous challenges and successes. This article was put together using diligent research from sources both in and outside Rutgers. What follows is the story.
Origins
According to Wikipedia, Jonathan Scott Holloway was born in Hawaii in 1967. The future Rutgers president graduated Stanford University with a B.A., then earned his Ph.D. from Yale University. In 2004 Dr. Holloway became a full professor at Yale, his alma mater. Between 2014-2017, Dr. Holloway served as Dean of Yale College. From 2017-2020, Dr. Holloway was Provost of Northwestern University. In 2020, at the height of the coronavirus pandemic, Jonathan Scott Holloway became the 21st President of Rutgers University. He succeeded Dr. Robert Barchi who was Rutgers President from 2012-2020.
Holloway is the first black President of Rutgers University. Not since Philip Milledoler Brett, the 13th President of Rutgers in 1930-1931, has a Rutgers University President served a term less than seven years. Before him, the 12th President, John Martin Thomas, served 1925-1930. Meanwhile, the 15th President, Lewis Webster Jones served from 1951-1958.
Reasons for President Holloway’s resignation
According to a nbcnewyork.com article, “Rutgers President Explains Why He Plans To Leave Top Job At NJ’s Flagship University,” President Holloway had to deal with the first faculty strike in university history, the coronavirus pandemic, surviving a no-confidence vote by the faculty senate, and receiving national scrutiny earlier this year from Republican lawmakers for his decision to end a pro-Palestinian encampment through negotiations rather than police force.
Now here is the interesting part. Tom Moran’s interview with Rutgers President Jonathan Holloway was embargoed until the announcement of Holloway’s resignation was made public on September 17, 2024.
However, according to Star-Ledger’s Tom Moran, the reason why Jonathan Holloway is stepping away from his $888,540 a year, plus about $200,000 in bonuses job, is because he is drained and exhausted.
In the nj.com Opinion piece, “Exclusive: Rutgers President Holloway says toxic politics drove decision to leave,“ Moran writes, “But he’s also been under siege, constantly, as even the best leaders in America are in today’s caustic culture. The man can’t appear in public without a police escort these days. For a period, he was directed by police to enter buildings by the back door to avoid ambush. He worries about the safety of his wife and kids, ever since protesters besieged his home at 7:30 a.m. one day during last year’s strike.
“So, it came as no surprise to those who know Holloway best that he’s decided to call it quits when his five-year contract ends at the close of this school year. He’ll take a paid sabbatical for a year after that, and expects to return as a history teacher, yielding the presidency to someone with the stomach for it.
“I’ve moved the needle as far as I can move it,” he said during an exclusive interview Monday, [September 17] embargoed until the announcement. “I haven’t talked about this until now…I don’t want to be in an environment where I need, where my family needs, protection. That’s the part I didn’t bargain for.”
“We talk a lot about how our leaders fail us, and that’s certainly true. But it’s not the end of the story. As a country, we also need to think long and hard about how we treat our leaders. Because if the public space remains so toxic, and if we are so resolute about our differences, we are going to lose more good leaders like Holloway.
“Holloway is bracing for more of it this week. He expects his detractors to say he’s leaving in quiet disgrace in the sudden resignation of Athletic Director Pat Hobbs last month, which Hobbs attributed to heart problems, but sources say followed an inappropriate romantic relationship with the coach of the women’s gymnastics team. The Star-Ledger also exposed a bullying scandal on that team, with athletes complaining that Hobbs responded to their complaints by ignoring them. Holloway has hired an outside team to investigate it.
“But he insists that’s not driving him out. He says he told board president Amy Towers of his plans weeks before the Hobbs scandal erupted. And why would that scandal drive him out? As sordid as the tale is, it does not reach the five-alarm stage, as the sexual abuse scandals in other college gymnastics programs did. No one is accusing Hobbs of assaulting the coach or pressuring her into a relationship. And no one is accusing Holloway himself of wrongdoing.
“‘That has absolutely nothing to do with this decision,’ Holloway says.”
According to the whyy.org article “Rutgers Senate has no confidence in Jonathan Holloway” dated September 22, 2023, the Rutgers University Senate adopted a no-confidence resolution against President Holloway. The reasons for such actions included recent labor disputes, a spike in housing and dining costs, and Holloway’s unresponsiveness.
Statement by Amy Towers, Chairwoman of Board of Governors
“Jonathan Holloway has led Rutgers with integrity, strong values and a commitment to service and civility, while helping to steer the university through challenges facing higher education – including a global pandemic, shifting labor demands and a Supreme Court decision on affirmative action in admissions. Dr. Holloway’s decision was his and his alone; we respect it and thank Dr. Holloway for his passion and service,” said Rutgers Board of Governors Chair Amy Towers.
“On behalf of the Board of Governors, I want to assure the entire university community that Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, will continue to move forward and build upon its reputation as a preeminent public research institution,” Towers added. “The Board of Governors stands prepared to lead a robust, nationwide search to find the best person to lead Rutgers into the future, and we look forward to working with Dr. Holloway to ensure a smooth transition.”
