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Week of May 2, 2023

This weekend, the University of South Florida will award over 7,000 degrees to a graduating class representing 46 states, nearly 100 countries and including more than 200 student veterans. Every graduate has a unique story about how they reached this milestone and their accomplishments along the way. You can read more about a few outstanding members of the spring class here.

During this weekend's ceremonies, we will also present the Distinguished Citizen Award to Sam Bell, a former state representative and the late husband of past USF president Betty Castor. Sam is considered the father of our College of Public Health and was a longtime champion of USF. He was an advocate for making our communities better places to live, and we are proud to honor his legacy through this award.

All week long, our university community is hosting several festivities to celebrate our graduates, including the SAILebration event in St. Petersburg and a sunset cruise for our graduates at the Sarasota-Manatee campus. I look forward to seeing many of you at this weekend's ceremonies as we honor the spring class of 2023.

Updates

• In case you missed it, I was pleased to share earlier today that the Florida Legislature has agreed to a state budget for the 2023-2024 fiscal year that includes more transformational increases in recurring operational funding and new investments in several significant projects at USF. More information about the USF initiatives in the budget, which are pending approval from the governor, can be found here.

• We are thrilled that USF is well represented in the rankings in U.S. News & World Report's latest list of the best graduate programs in the nation. More than 30 USF programs are ranked in the top 100, including 10 programs in the top 50. USF's performance in the rankings reflects the hard work and focused pursuit of excellence by our students, faculty and staff.

• I’m pleased to join the USF community in celebrating Asian Pacific Islander Desi American Heritage Month, a nationally recognized observance that honors the history, heritage and contributions of Asians, Southeast Asians and Pacific Islanders in the U.S. Our university has hosted numerous events over the past few weeks and there will be stories throughout the month of May that highlight some of the impactful work being done by people at our university who represent the APIDA community. including this story about a USF faculty member who is using a motivational chatbot to ensure his students' success in the classroom.

• I was delighted to attend the Joyce Russell Kente Awards and to extend my congratulations to this year's honorees: USF alumna Lisa Ann Mifflin and State Rep. Dianne Hart. I also greatly enjoyed hearing from keynote speaker Askia Muhammad Aquil — who, as you may remember, earned his bachelor’s degree last summer after first enrolling at USF in 1966! Thank you to everyone who joined us to celebrate the outstanding Black students at USF and the Tampa Bay community leaders who have made a significant difference in their lives.

• For the first time since 2012, the USF Women's Golf team is headed to the NCAA tournament! The Bulls are the No. 10 seed in the Palm Beach Gardens Regional, where they will compete May 8-10. We are so proud of this team for their terrific season, and I wish them all the best as they compete in the postseason.

• For those who haven’t already done so, please take a couple of minutes to complete a brief survey on Inside USF: The Newsletter, which is available here. We greatly appreciate your feedback as we explore the best ways to keep you informed about university news and initiatives.

Dean Charles Adams

Even before construction is completed, the new home of the Judy Genshaft Honors College is having a transformative effect on student applications and interest from prospective employees. Dean Charles Adams talks through some of the building’s key features and his personal and professional journey – in which he admits he “was not a good high school student.”

The Associated Press quoted USF Distinguished University Professor Mya Breitbart in a story about new research that discovered a parasite killing sea urchins in Florida and the Caribbean.

The Chronicle of Higher Education highlighted the work of USF Associate Professor Matthew Kessler and doctoral student Sean Farrell in a story about support services for international students.

The Tampa Bay Times featured the USF Graphicstudio in a story about the printmaking studio's history of working with some of the world's most renowned contemporary artists.

This spring, USF student-athlete Romaine Beckford made university history as the first Bull to win the indoor national championship in the men's high jump. Beckford, a native of Portland, Jamaica, jumped more than 7 feet 4 inches in the national competition. He finished the 2023 season undefeated, and you can read more about his journey here.

Inside USF: The Newsletter is published every other week.

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