From a historic strike to pro-Palestine protests and an athletic director’s resignation, the first African American president of one the nation’s largest universities faced controversy atop controversy over the past two years.

Jonathan Holloway was Rutgers’ first Black president. He helped the university grow but also faced criticism and questioning in Congress over pro-Palestinian encampments on campus.

Jonathan Holloway, the embattled president of Rutgers University, announced Tuesday that he will step down next year after a tenure that has included contending with the COVID-19 pandemic, overseeing the university’s first-ever strike and surviving a no-confidence vote by the faculty senate.