The USF Board of Trustees has named the eighth president of the university, subject to Florida Board of Governors’ approval later this month. In this episode, President-elect Rhea F. Law, the first alum appointed to the position, shares her priorities for the university, including which critical workforce need for our state should be addressed immediately.

Positive trends across the country suggest we have entered a new phase in the pandemic. Donna Petersen, dean of the College of Public Health and chair of USF’s COVID-19 Task Force, shares her perspective on where we stand two years after COVID-19 swept across the region, the state, the nation and the world.

Next month’s ribbon-cutting for the new, state-of-the-art building in the USF Research Park is yet another sign of the growth of USF’s research enterprise. Sylvia Wilson Thomas, interim vice president for research and innovation, discusses the significance of the new facility, the efforts of faculty to address local and global challenges, and her longstanding advocacy for bringing more diversity to the STEM fields.

From chronicling dinosaur footprints in Spain to the African American Experience in Florida, the USF Libraries offer a wealth of ever-growing digital collections, along with traditional resources, to inform and intrigue members of the USF community and beyond. Dean Todd Chavez discusses the library of today and what the future holds.

USF Libraries

A film screening, panel discussions and a diversity and inclusion conference are among the many highlights of Black Heritage Month, which runs throughout February. Neudy Nuñez, director of USF’s Office of Multicultural Affairs, shares details about some of the activities and discusses the goals of this annual observance.

USF’s Office of Multicultural Affairs

USF St. Petersburg campus Regional Chancellor Martin Tadlock and College of Marine Science Dean Tom Frazer discuss how the state of Florida and coastal communities nationwide will benefit from the research being conducted at USF.

USF to launch new Center of Excellence in Environmental and Oceanographic Sciences on the St. Petersburg campus

A new USF task force is exploring ways to recruit, enroll and graduate more Latino students and forge stronger connections with Tampa Bay’s Hispanic community. In this episode, task force co-chairs Elizabeth Hordge-Freeman and Paul Dosal discuss what will be ongoing efforts to develop a comprehensive approach that focuses not only on success in the classroom but also enhances students’ sense of belonging to the USF community. They also discuss other diversity, inclusivity and equity initiatives, including the expansion of the Office of Multicultural Affairs.

USF Task Force

Mark Sharpe, chief potential officer for the Tampa Innovation Partnership, which includes USF as a founding member, discusses ongoing efforts to transform “Uptown”, including the redevelopment of the former University Mall into Rithm at Uptown and a partnership with Florida Blue designed to provide better health, housing, employment and other opportunities in the area.

Tampa Innovation Partnership

genetic counseling graduate program

Dr. Kathy Black

Florida Department of Elder Affairs

AARP