Dear USF community:
I could not be more excited to join you today as this incredible institution’s ninth president. The decade I spent at USF was the most formative in my professional and personal life, and I have long waited for this day when I could say: I am home. I promise to begin my tenure by listening, learning and becoming reacquainted with you. Together, we will accomplish so much and reach new heights. Together, we will continue USF’s trajectory and growth. Together, as a team, we will all achieve more.
From day one, you will see me outside my office and active around our campuses. This morning, I will join business and community leaders at the annual State of the Region, a research-focused collaboration with the Tampa Bay Partnership. This afternoon, I will spend time with students at the Marshall Student Center and tour the construction site of our on-campus stadium – a facility that will forever transform our university when it opens next year. In the coming days, I will visit our St. Petersburg and Sarasota-Manatee campuses and USF Health. And I look forward to cheering on the men’s basketball team Thursday night.
I have never been more energized! I will share these experiences and much more on social media and welcome you to connect with me on Instagram, LinkedIn and X.
As some of you know, returning to USF, where I spent a decade as the Lynn Pippenger Dean of the Muma College of Business, is a homecoming for my family in every sense of the word. While that experience will help minimize my learning curve, I know well that this is not the same USF I left in 2022. People change – myself included – and institutions evolve. USF has thrived and continues to do so, yet there is important work ahead, and meaningful conversations with our faculty, staff, students and partners are a critical first step.
That’s why one of my priorities over these first few months is to reconnect with faculty and staff, as well as community and civic leaders. I envision a listening tour as the beginning of the development of a new strategic plan with a compelling vision and bold goals to enhance student and faculty success, research excellence, community impact and our partnerships, regionally and nationally. A plan that will be OURS, created together.
I am grateful to the USF Board of Trustees and the Florida Board of Governors for their trust. I also extend special recognition to Rhea Law, whose 40-plus years of service to USF, from student to employee, volunteer, donor, trustee and president, have elevated and strengthened our university in innumerable ways.
As USF celebrates its 70th anniversary, we honor our remarkable rise while focusing on the future we will shape together.
I am thrilled to again be part of the USF community, and I cannot wait to see you around campus soon.
Go Bulls!
Sincerely,
Moez Limayem, PhD
USF President