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Week of April 4, 2023

The USF College of Nursing celebrated the completion of its new Mo-Bull Nurse Medical Clinic, and I was thrilled to get a sneak peek of this innovative facility on Friday during the college's ribbon-cutting ceremony. 

The mobile health unit will make quality health care more accessible to thousands of people across the Tampa Bay region while providing our students with experiential learning opportunities in delivering quality patient care in underserved communities. This is a terrific example of our university’s commitment to addressing vital community needs, and I appreciate the work of Dean Usha Menon and the rest of her team to reach this significant milestone.  

Updates

• While in Tallahassee for the Florida Board of Governors Meeting last week, I met with several members of our state legislature to discuss USF's priorities and highlight the impactful work happening at our university. These conversations are a great opportunity to continue telling USF’s story, discuss key issues and advocate for their support. We’ll continue to keep the USF community updated on new developments as we approach the end of session next month.

• I was delighted to meet the students participating in the Tallahassee Internship Program — a program hosted by USF's School of Public Affairs that gives students an in-depth look at Florida history, issues, and politics before they relocate to Tallahassee to complete an internship with an elected official, professional association or private firm. We are proud to have this talented group of students representing our university during the state legislative session.

• I encourage you to share your Bull pride and join our university community starting on April 10 for USF Week — a weeklong series of activities honoring our university’s rich history and community. That same week, we will also host USF Giving Week, a spirited celebration that includes several donor challenges benefitting our students and programs. We’re building on last’s year record number of donors who participated in Giving Week, and I hope you will join me in supporting a college, research area or cause that is important to you.

• We’re excited to announce Amir Abdur-Rahim as the new head coach of USF’s men’s basketball program. Coach Abdur-Rahim joins USF from Kennesaw State, where he led a massive turnaround of the Owls’ basketball program. In just four years, they went from a one-win season to reaching the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history! I enjoyed hearing his personal story and vision for leading our team to future success, and I hope you will join me in welcoming him and his family to Tampa Bay.

Boundless Bulls

Two-time alum Dr. Asa Oxner is working to train the next generation of physicians. Hear how the vice chair and associate professor in the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine Department of Internal Medicine has responded to a number of global emergencies and how she's helping various communities fight addiction.

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.

USF Associate Professor Bryanna Fox appeared live on CNN to discuss a school shooting in Tennessee.

USF political scientist Robbin Mellen Jr. authored a piece for The Conversation about the factors presidential hopefuls are considering before entering the race.

The New York Times published a story about a research study led by USF Professor Chapurukha Kusimba that uncovered the first ancient DNA from the Swahili Civilization.

Interested in learning about the potential of artificial intelligence (AI) and ChatGPT? USF's Office of Corporate Training and Professional Education has launched "Exploring AI and ChatGPT: Impact and Possibilities," a free online course covering the most critical aspects of AI and its impact on society. The course features several USF faculty experts and industry professionals and registration is open to the public until April 9.

Inside USF: The Newsletter is published every other week.

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