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April 2, 2024

As part of USF’s strategic focus on global and national security, I’m pleased to share that we are taking new steps to strengthen our long-standing connection to the U.S. military and further capitalize on our faculty expertise in this area.  

We recently hosted a grand opening celebration for our Rapid Experimentation Lab, a cutting-edge facility managed by USF's Institute of Applied Engineering that is designed to bring researchers from many different backgrounds into the same room to provide quick, innovative solutions to the wide range of challenges facing the U.S. Department of Defense.

Today we’re also announcing a new partnership with the U.S. Army that will allow us to exchange knowledge, collaborate on research and provide additional hands-on learning opportunities to our students. USF will be working with the Army’s central research laboratory dedicated to scientific discovery and technological innovation. You can read more here.

Both of these initiatives will help enhance USF’s position as a leader in global and national security and support our mission to respond to society’s most pressing needs.

Updates

• We’re excited to see our recently announced intention to create a new college at USF focused on artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and computing receive extensive statewide and national media coverage. In case you missed it, you can read more about our plans here.

• Yesterday we announced a $1 million gift from Johnnie Giffin to support a scholarship she established last year to honor her late mother and USF alumna, Fay Baynard. The scholarship will benefit students studying at USF St. Petersburg, with preference given to students who are single parents or guardians of a minor. We are deeply grateful for this generous gift, and you can read more about how it is already impacting our students here.

• The news of this gift comes right before USF Giving Week, an annual opportunity to support a college, program or research area across the university. Giving Week is hosted alongside USF Week, a celebration of our university's rich history and remarkable community. I encourage you to share your Bull pride all week long by participating in the various events planned on all three USF campuses or by supporting a cause that is important to you.

Additional University News Sources

• USF Newsroom

• St. Petersburg campus

• Sarasota-Manatee campus

• USF Health

• USF Athletics

The New York Times quoted USF Professor Brad E. Rosenheim in a story about a decision by the International Union of Geological Sciences to uphold a vote made by geoscientists that confirms Earth has not entered a new epoch of geologic time.

The Associated Press quoted USF Associate Professor Mark Luther in a story about the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse in Baltimore and ongoing debates about whether modern protections could have prevented the incident.

The Tampa Bay Times published a story about a USF-led team that is the first North American crew to win the World’s Toughest Row.

At 92 percent, USF has one of the highest student retention rates in the State University System of Florida. Some of that success can be attributed to USF's peer mentoring initiatives and the dozens of structured programs that support our students. You can read more here.

Inside USF: The Newsletter is published every other week.

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