Explore updates from USF's President, university news and upcoming events.
June 26, 2025
From the President
The research we conduct at USF is helping shape a better future for our state and our nation by discovering innovative solutions for the biggest challenges and generating new knowledge to address the most pressing needs in our communities. It is critical that we continue to show the impact of our research.
This week we launched a new website to highlight how we improve lives and to tell the stories of the dedicated people behind the breakthroughs. As we aim to reach a wide range of key stakeholders, I also encourage you to subscribe to our new “Bold Research. Real Impact.” LinkedIn newsletter and share it with your networks. If you have ideas for research stories we should feature, please submit them here.
We are proud that USF is home to many world-class researchers, and we’re excited to add to the ways we are showcasing your work.
Updates
• Yesterday, Gov. Ron DeSantis and Board of Trustees Vice Chair Mike Griffin announced our intent to establish a new center for substance abuse and mental health research at USF, named for Sen. Darryl Rouson, who has openly shared his own personal struggles. Sen. Rouson has been a champion for USF in the Florida Legislature, and at yesterday’s event I presented him with a tribute to the resolution he recently sponsored to honor our late men’s basketball coach, Amir Abdur-Rahim. You can read more about our plans for the new center here.
• Congratulations to our men's track and field team, which made history at the 2025 NCAA Outdoor Championships by capturing the program's first-ever national title in the men's 4x400-meter relay and securing a top-15 finish in the team standings. The relay squad earned First-Team All-American honors, as did the Bulls’ 4x100 relay team. Several student-athletes who competed in individual events also earned First- and Second-Team All-American recognition.
• This week USF is honored to host 29 children of military personnel who died in the line of duty. We are proud to partner with the Special Operations Warrior Foundation on this program that teaches these high school students about the college application process and the value of a college degree. Special thanks to USF’s Office of Youth Experiences for helping to make this a memorable week for the sons and daughters of these heroes.
• As we shared with the university community earlier in June, USF’s Advancing Efficiency and Strategic Impact Task Force is looking critically at how we can enhance our operational effectiveness. We are interested in your ideas that will help us streamline operations, improve service delivery or reinvest resources in high-impact areas. I hope you will take a few moments to share your input through this form by Aug. 15.
USF helped kickstart skateboarding in Tampa Bay. Students embedded skateboarding into the area’s cultural DNA, designed the region’s first nationally known skatepark and helped the public recognize the sport’s historical value. Learn more.
