By Althea Johnson, University Communications and Marketing
In advance of the fall semester, thousands of students will move onto the University of South Florida’s campuses this week. Residence halls are again expected to be at full capacity with approximately 7,500 students living on the Tampa, St. Petersburg and Sarasota-Manatee campuses when classes begin on Monday, Aug. 25.
Throughout the years, USF has strategically focused on increasing housing capacity as part of an overall commitment to student success. Studies have shown that a vibrant on-campus environment can have a direct impact on improving the academic performance of students.
Approximately 3,000 students are expected to move in on the Tampa campus on Thursday, Aug. 21 as part of the annual grand opening event. Students will move in on the St. Petersburg campus Aug. 21-22 and the Sarasota-Manatee campus on Aug. 22.
Student housing statistics:
- More than 650 student volunteers have signed up to help their peers move in through USF’s signature Bull Haul program on the Tampa campus. This is a record-breaking number of volunteers for the program.
- Including students, families, and other volunteers, USF estimates 10,000 people will be on the Tampa campus Thursday to help welcome and move students into the residence halls.
- USF has a total of 48 residence halls on the Tampa, St. Petersburg and Sarasota-Manatee campuses.
- USF features 16 Residential Community Programs, which are residential communities designed to provide a cohort experience with peers who share similar academic, career and co-curricular interests.
This fall at USF, students will be able to take advantage of various new additions on campus:
- The Bellini College of Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity and Computing will officially
open, welcoming its first batch of students. It’s the first of its kind in Florida
and one of the pioneers in the nation to bring together the disciplines of artificial
intelligence, cybersecurity and computing into a dedicated college.
- The USF Herbarium, home to more than 270,000 specimens of plants and algae, has completed
its move from the College of Arts and Sciences to the USF Libraries building and is
now again open to students and researchers. Established in 1958, the Herbarium is
one of the largest in the U.S. and the second largest in Florida.
- Along with a new on-campus dining provider comes more food options, including Evolution
Kitchen and Bay Features, which highlight Bay Area culinary traditions. Additions
also include mobile ordering and real-time menu updates for fast, tech-enabled service.
- Four new USF-themed murals now decorate the Tampa campus. Located at the Argos Center, the Bookstore Café, Juniper Hall and the Student Services Building, each was created by a student-artist.