Communications

A recap of the Fall Address and announcing additional holidays

 Dear USF Faculty and Staff:

Thank you to everyone who joined me earlier today for my first Fall Address. I know many of you could not be there because you were doing the work that keeps our university moving, so I want to share a summary of the remarks and you can view the full video of the Fall Address here.

Over the past six months, I have listened to faculty, staff and students across our campuses. I heard deep pride in USF, strong belief in what we can become and honest feedback about where we must improve. Your candor matters. I also heard clearly where we need to do better.

We are acting on what you told us. We are redesigning some of our most frustrating HR processes, continuing the work to improve Oracle, studying compensation and our use of physical space, addressing deferred maintenance and taking a close look at the systems, processes, culture and everyday experiences that affect your work and the success of our students. In my remarks, I shared timelines indicating when you can expect results.

I shared that USF has extraordinary momentum. We welcomed an incoming class of students with an average GPA of 4.29 and SAT of 1328, both USF records, as well as a record 83 National Merit Scholars, an increase of 23 over last year. I also was pleased to highlight the work of our world-class faculty and staff and shared examples of their impactful research. Our research awards have reached a record $750 million; private support reached approximately $172 million last year; and we are building new spaces that will transform how our students learn, our researchers collaborate and our university connects with the community.

But my message was not simply about where USF is today. It was about where we are going.

Nine years from now, USF will be approaching its 80th birthday. I want us to become a model university. Not simply a university that moves higher in rankings, but one that makes others ask, “How did they do that?”

As we look ahead, our task is to build on our momentum. That will require us to think differently about how we prepare students for a world being reshaped by intelligent systems, expanding experiential learning, growing our research impact and making USF easier to navigate for students, employees and partners alike.

Our graduates also need the distinctly human capabilities that will become even more valuable as technologies advance: Judgment, curiosity, communication, collaboration and the ability to engage in civil discourse with people who disagree with them.

We must ensure that our strategic plan reflects the insight and ambition of the entire university community. I offered a first glimpse of the team’s progress so far and I encourage you to take part in the conversations this fall about USF’s future. Bring your questions and your best ideas. The strength of our university has always come from people who care enough to imagine more and work together to make it real.

I was pleased to announce that we will be closed for two additional days for winter break, closing from Dec. 21-Jan. 3. We are also providing two additional holidays for employees, March 18-19, 2027, the Thursday and Friday of the week students are off for spring break. I hope you will use the additional paid holidays in the coming months to spend time with people you love and doing things that bring you joy.

I am grateful for everything you do for our students and for the University of South Florida and I am excited for the future we are building together.

As always – Go Bulls!

Sincerely,
 
Moez Limayem, PhD
President