Explore updates from USF's President, university news and upcoming events.
From the President
We are excited to celebrate the Fall Class of 2025 as we award more than 4,100 degrees during five commencement ceremonies on Friday and Saturday. This will be a special occasion for me, as it marks my final commencement as president. At the conclusion of our last ceremony, I will have had the privilege of presiding over 81 ceremonies and conferring 59,000 degrees during the past 4 1/2 years. Being part of such an important milestone for our students and their families is one of the greatest honors of serving as president, and I look forward to recognizing their accomplishments this weekend. This fall's graduation also is an important milestone for our university, as we will surpass 400,000 living alumni. You will find more about the inspiring stories of our graduates and our special honorees in this story.
Updates
• We were thrilled to officially welcome Brian Hartline as the seventh head coach of our Bulls football team during an event on campus yesterday. Brian comes to USF from The Ohio State University, where he has been the offensive coordinator for a team that won the 2024 College Football Playoff National Championship and is ranked No. 2 in the nation this season. Brian’s championship-level experience aligns perfectly with our commitment to excellence in our football program and across USF Athletics. In case you missed it, you can watch his introductory press conference here. The Bulls will seek their 10th win of the season and third consecutive bowl game victory in the Cure Bowl against Old Dominion on Dec. 17. The game will be played at Orlando's Camping World Stadium.
• I am pleased to share that this morning, the Board of Trustees of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges reaffirmed USF’s institutional accreditation. Today’s action followed a successful review of our policies and practices earlier this year by a committee that visited our three campuses and USF Health.
• It was wonderful to see so many of you at last week’s Holiday Open House. We have had much to celebrate in 2025, and the future is very bright for our great university. As we previously announced, we have extended USF’s Winter Break in recognition of your many contributions, from Dec. 22 through Jan. 2, 2026. Please enjoy this well-deserved time off with family and friends as you recharge for what is certain to be a busy and rewarding new year.
The New York Times interviewed assistant professor Karni Chagal-Feferkorn for a story on the risks of uploading personal medical information to chatbots.
The launch of the Bellini College of Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity and Computing was featured in a story on Tampa Bay 28.
Chuanmin Hu, professor of physical oceanography, was interviewed by the New York Times for a story on shifting growth patterns of sargassum in the Atlantic Ocean.
The inaugural cohort of 39 graduates from our new Bellini College of Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity and Computing, sporting their distinctive lime green tassels, will earn their degrees during commencement on Saturday.
