Dear USF community,
In recent years, the University of South Florida has made extraordinary progress in our pursuit of excellence, reaching milestones faster than many thought was possible. To maintain this momentum, it is important that we continue to make strategic investments that build on our university’s areas of strength.
A key part of this process, and something we have done for years, is to look critically at how we can operate efficiently. In April, we established the Advancing Efficiency and Strategic Impact Task Force. This initiative provides an opportunity to enhance operational effectiveness while reinforcing USF’s core commitments to student success, faculty excellence, research and innovation and institutional resilience.
The task force’s work is underway, and a pivotal part of its success depends on input from our faculty and staff who are out in our colleges and units every day and can offer ideas based on their experiences in different parts of the university. The task force is meeting with several stakeholder groups, including elected representatives from the Faculty Senate, Staff Senate, and Administrative Advisory Council, as well as the University Leadership Council.
In addition, we have created a form to gather additional suggestions and feedback from our team members, which we ask that you submit by August 15.
We are seeking ways to streamline operations, improve service delivery or reinvest resources into high-impact areas in alignment with the considerations outlined in the April charge letter to the task force and the guiding principles that the members have established, all of which can be found with the submission form. The guiding principles are designed to ensure this effort is meaningful, leads to real changes for the university and results in us continuing to invest our resources in ways that serve our mission.
While the task force will be producing deliverables and reporting on outcomes from its work, this should not be viewed as a one-time endeavor. As we have in the past, it is our responsibility to keep looking for operational efficiencies that allow us to strengthen our university for the future and clearly demonstrate the strong return on investment that we provide to our region, state and the nation.
Thank you for your engagement in this important institutional priority.
Sincerely,
Rhea F. Law
President