View email in browser.

Week of May 10, 2022

I was honored to preside over our spring commencement ceremonies last weekend – conferring some 6,400 degrees from Thursday through Saturday at the Yuengling Center on our Tampa campus. But the numbers alone – including 4,843 undergraduate, 1,295 master’s and 297 doctoral degrees – can’t fully convey the magnitude of the experience.

This was the culmination of a journey for our students, who worked diligently, persevered through the challenges of the pandemic and expanded their horizons. Now a new journey begins. I’m so proud of all of our newly minted USF alumni, and I encourage you to click here to read more about some of this spring's outstanding graduates in our Boundless Bulls series.

Participating in these memorable ceremonies – including the SAILebration event on our St. Petersburg campus, our “Walk the Green Carpet” evening on the Sarasota-Manatee campus, and congratulating our graduating student-athletes in a celebratory brunch – was certainly a highlight of my new presidency.

Here’s to all of our new graduates as they set out to make a mark in the world. I can’t wait to see what the future holds for them.

Updates

• We embrace cultural diversity at USF and in that spirit, are celebrating Asian Pacific Islander Desi American (APIDA) Heritage Month. This national observance honors the history, heritage and contributions of Asians, Southeast Asians and Pacific Islanders in the U.S. Click here to learn more about this special month and members of our APIDA community. And click here to access a "sharable" toolkit of social media and virtual meeting images.

• I was so pleased to attend the recent NAACP Open House at a new Hillsborough County branch location, joined by more than a dozen other USF leaders. One of my priorities is to foster collaborative relationships across the region, and the NAACP is a vital partner. The event offered opportunities to network, build connections and foster future collaboration with the NAACP, promoting racial equity at USF and around Tampa Bay.

• I’m happy to report that we have taken important steps in the provost search process. In addition to securing a search firm, our newly appointed search committee has started holding listening sessions with key stakeholders. Meanwhile, we're advancing our search for the regional chancellor position on the St. Petersburg campus, and I look forward to making an announcement soon. And for those who didn't see it, I shared a couple of updates about my leadership team on April 28.

• We’ve reached a key milestone in the launch of a significant new benefit for our faculty and staff. The application process is now open for employees who wish to take advantage of the new tuition remission program for dependent children, spouses and domestic partners of USF employees. Previously, only USF employees could waive the cost of six undergraduate credit hours per semester. Under the new program, eligible employees will also be able to assign that benefit to a spouse, domestic partner or child. Please click here to apply or here to learn more about the program and its eligibility requirements.

• A big Bulls shout-out to USF sophomore Melanie Green, who qualified for the U.S. Women's Open next month! That's a major accomplishment for Melanie and USF Athletics. In addition, congratulations to the men's golf and tennis teams for advancing to NCAA tournament play. What's more, the men's golf team has made nine straight NCAA appearances, and the men's tennis team has reached the NCAA tourney seven times in eight seasons!

INSIDE USF: THE PODCAST

Additional University News Sources

• USF
• St. Petersburg Campus
• Sarasota-Manatee Campus
• USF Health
• USF Athletics

The Tampa Bay Business Journal featured President Law in this week's cover story.

Telemundo highlighted USF's commitment to Latino student success and efforts to create additional opportunities. 

NBC News interviewed USF professor Tatsiana Kulakeviv about the new phase in Russia's widening war in Ukraine.

The USF Libraries was recently named the official repository for the Florida Ornithological Society’s physical and digital records – transferring from the Florida Museum of Natural History to Special Collections. The hub is designed to support research and education about birds and unite amateurs and professionals in the study of wild birds.

Inside USF: The Newsletter is published every other week.

This email address is used for distribution only and is not monitored for responses.

For reasonable disability accommodations requests pertaining to this announcement, please contact one of our offices.