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Week of August 30, 2022

I hope you’ve all felt the energy on our campuses as our community comes together for the start of the fall semester! I’ve been delighted to participate in events on all three campuses and to welcome a record number of students and their families as they move into USF's residence halls.

On the first day of classes, I greeted our students and employees at numerous locations on the Tampa campus. Later in the week, I stopped by Week of Welcome events at the St. Petersburg and Sarasota-Manatee campuses. It was so great seeing our students back on campus — every place I visited was bustling with activity!

There is so much to be optimistic about as USF is poised to break several all-time records with our largest and highest-achieving first-year class in university history. More high school students than ever before are interested in enrolling at our university, and it's because of the hard work and commitment of employees like you that USF's momentum continues to grow.

Updates

• I hope to see everyone this Saturday for the first USF football game of the season against BYU! As a reminder, there's still time for our faculty and staff to claim two complimentary tickets to the game. Attending the recent sold-out kickoff luncheon and a pep rally for students, I’ve felt the excitement building for our athletics programs. We’re ready to support Coach Scott and all of our teams this fall! 

• We had such a great turnout at the USF Employee Appreciation Lunch, an event hosted to express gratitude for our employees' contributions to the university. It was great to speak with many of you, and I am deeply appreciative of your hard work and commitment to the success of our students. I look forward to hosting you again at our university-wide town hall for faculty and staff on Wednesday, Sept. 7. The event will be an opportunity for our university leadership team to provide updates and hear about some of the issues important to you. I encourage you to submit your questions in advance here. 

• I am thrilled that Forbes has recognized USF as one of the top employers in Florida! This comes after Forbes named USF one of America’s best employers for women just last month. It's the success of our faculty and staff that powers USF's upward trajectory, and we are committed to recruiting and retaining top talent by fostering an inclusive and supportive culture.

• Please join me in congratulating the 26 faculty members who were awarded USF’s Outstanding Research Achievement Awards, the largest internal recognition of its kind at USF. Our reputation as a top research university is powered by the discoveries and innovations of our faculty members. I am so proud of these talented scholars for all they have accomplished in their work of advancing knowledge, finding solutions and transforming lives!

• Last week, we celebrated a milestone investment for the Muma College of Business and the Sarasota-Manatee campus. BRP Group, Inc. made a $5.2 million commitment to USF's School of Risk Management and Insurance. The gift, which is the largest in USF’s Sarasota-Manatee campus history, renames the existing school as the “Baldwin Risk Partners School of Risk Management and Insurance.” We are deeply appreciative of BRP for their investment in our university, and our students!

• Supplier diversity is a priority for our university, and we continue to make great strides in growing partnerships with diverse-owned businesses in our communities. I was delighted to welcome the second cohort of participants to the mentor-protégé program, a free program that provides small and diverse businesses the guidance needed to thrive in Tampa Bay’s business economy. Thank you to Skanska for your continued partnership and the USF Office of Supplier Diversity for your leadership and facilitation of this innovative program!

• Congratulations to Lauren Hartmann, USF’s director of state and government relations, for being recognized as a 40 under 40 honoree by the Tampa Bay Business Journal. The annual awards program recognizes the Tampa Bay area’s 40 top business professionals age 40 and younger. This is a well-deserved honor for Lauren and all of our alumni and community partners who were included in this year’s list.

Andrea Davis

As emergency coordinator of the USF Department of Emergency Management, Andrea Davis and her team are responsible for coordinating emergency operations to ensure a safe and secure environment.

Boundless Bulls is a collection of stories about what truly makes USF great – the people. It is a focus on our community footprint, our impact and the trajectory of where we can go together.

WUSF Public Media and Health News Florida were part of a statewide Florida Public Media project that won a national Edward R. Murrow Award in the digital category for large radio markets. 

Time Magazine quoted College of Public Health Professor Thomas E. Bernard in a story about extreme weather events and how people can improve their heat tolerance.

The Tampa Bay Business Journal ran a story about the Fintech Center at the Kate Tiedemann School of Business and Finance in the Muma College of Business and the center's inaugural director, Michael Weimer.

On Wednesdays, USF Bulls wear green! Join the "Wear Green Wednesday" initiative to show your Bulls pride and celebrate the start of the new school year. Official merchandise is available for purchase through the USF Bookstore both online and at their locations across all three campuses.

Inside USF: The Newsletter is published every other week.

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