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Founded in 1956, USF is the fourth largest university in Florida by enrollment, with 49,766 students from over 145 countries, all 50 states, all five U.S. Territories, and the District of Columbia as of the 2022–2023 academic year.[5][13]
In 2022, the university reported an annual budget of $2.31 billion and an annual economic impact of over $6 billion.[14] According to the National Science Foundation, USF spent $568 million on research and development in 2019, ranking it 43rd in the nation and 25th among public universities.[15][16] USF's $889 million endowment is the third-largest among Florida public universities and the largest of any American public university founded post-World War II.
USF's sports teams are known as the South Florida Bulls and primarily compete in the American Conference of NCAA Division I. USF's 21 varsity teams have won a combined 6 national championships and 171 conference championships. Athletes representing the Bulls have won an additional 24 individual and relay national championships and 256 individual and relay conference championships.[19]
USF was the first state university in Florida built during the 20th century.[20] Former U.S. representative Samuel Gibbons was instrumental in the school's creation when he was a state representative. He is considered by many to be the "Father of USF".[21]
Although founded in 1956, the university was not officially named until the following year, and classes did not begin until 1960.[20] The university was built off Fowler Avenue on the former site of Henderson Air Field, a World War II airstrip.[20] Before Henderson Field, the area was part of a 5,000-acre temple orange grove, the largest citrus grove in the world at the time, which gave the nearby city of Temple Terrace its name.
In 1957, the Florida Cabinet approved the name "University of South Florida".[20] At the time, USF was the southernmost university in the state university system.[20]
The first five buildings on campus when the student opened were the old library (now the student services building), the science building (now the chemistry building), the teaching auditorium (no longer standing, on the site of what is now the music building), the university center (no longer standing, on the site of what is now the Marshall Student Center), and the administration building (now called the John and Grace Allen Administration building).
The university was founded as a school for whites only. It integrated and admitted its first African-American student, Ernest Boger, in 1961, the school's second year after opening. Boger graduated in 1964 with a B.A. in psychology.[22]
In 1962, students voted to make the "Golden Brahman" the university's mascot, named after the state's cattle raising industry.[20] In the early 1980s, the mascot evolved into the "Bulls".[23]
In 1963, USF held its first graduation ceremony. 325 degrees were conferred.[24]
The university grew rapidly under the leadership of John S. Allen, who served as its first president from 1956 until his retirement in 1971.[20] During this time, the university expanded rapidly, due in part to the first master's degree programs commencing in 1964.[20] Allen was infamously known for his opposition to college sports in favor of placing an "Accent on Learning", USF's original motto.[25] He received national attention after declaring in 1959 that the school would have no sports teams, though he later had a change of heart and USF's first varsity teams would begin in 1965.[26] Allen's ultimate legacy was to be the first person to build a modern state university from scratch, famously stating: "As a completely new and separate institution, the University of South Florida became the first new institution of its kind to be conceived, planned and built in the United States in the 20th century".[27] Today the John and Grace Allen Administration Building, named after the university's founding president and his wife, houses vital Tampa campus departments including Student Affairs, the Admissions Welcome Center, and the Controller's Office.[28]
USF's St. Petersburg campus opened in 1965 as a satellite campus. The site was known as the "Bay Campus" at the time and sat on the former site of the U.S. Navy Maritime Training Center.[29]
USF's campus was damaged by an F4 tornado during the tornado outbreak of April 4–5, 1966, with the cooling towers at the university's power plant partially collapsing and the roof being ripped off of one of the dormitories.[citation needed]
In 1970, M. Cecil Mackey became the university's second president.[20] During his time at USF, Mackey opened the university's medical school, School of Nursing, and first-ever Ph.D. program.[20][30] Additionally, Mackey worked to strengthen the St. Petersburg campus, while opening new satellite campuses in Sarasota and Fort Myers.[20] While serving as university president, Mackey continued to teach economics courses in a conference room across from his office.[30] Mackey first coined a new descriptor for USF: a "metropolitan university".[30] The term is still used to describe USF and other colleges in large cities today.
USF Sarasota–Manatee was founded in 1975 and shared a campus with New College of Florida, which later became part of the USF system as well before becoming an independent university again.[31]
USF emerged as a major research institution during the 1980s under the leadership of the university's third president John Lott Brown.[32] During his tenure, the USF Graduate School was established in 1980.[20] In 1986, Brown oversaw the opening of the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute on the USF Tampa campus.[20] USF became the first university in the nation to offer a Ph.D. in applied anthropology and the first in the State University System of Florida to offer a degree program in women's studies.[20] In January 1988, USF Lakeland opened.[20]
On February 15, 1988, Francis T. Borkowski was inaugurated as the university's fourth president.[20] He served as president for five years, laying the groundwork for the university's football program, establishing on-campus housing for the USF president at the Lifsey House, and merging several colleges into the College of Arts and Sciences.[33]
Betty Castor became the university's fifth president and first female president when she was inaugurated in January 1994.[20] She served as USF president for six years until 1999. During this time, USF grew to be one of the largest universities in the nation in terms of enrollment.[20] In 1997, the university began its inaugural season of NCAA football.[20] The Florida Board of Regents named USF a "Research 1" University in 1998.[20]
Judy Genshaft was selected as the new president in 2000. Under Genshaft's leadership, the university emerged as a top research university (achieving "preeminence" per the Florida Board of Governors in June 2018) and major economic engine with an annual economic impact of $3.7 billion in the 2018–2019 fiscal year, her last year as president.[11][34] In 2006, Castor returned to USF to lead the Dr. Kiran C. Patel Center for Global Solutions;[35] she stepped down in 2009.[36] The university expanded its global reach, opening the first Confucius Institute in Florida in 2008 and creating the Genshaft/Greenbaum Passport Scholarship Fund in 2011, which provides financial support to USF students who want to study abroad.[20] Under Genshaft, USF has continuously been ranked among the top veteran-friendly universities in the country.[10] In 2009, USF became the first university in the nation to partner with the United States Department of Veterans Affairs to offer specialized services for veterans taking advantage of the new G.I. Bill.[20] USF continues to improve academically, being ranked among the best colleges in the nation by U.S. News & World Report.[10]
In 2012, USF was recognized as one of the nation's largest producers of Fulbright Program scholars.[10] The university closed its Confucius Institute in 2018, citing falling enrollment, misalignment with the university's research focus, and possible consequences on US-government funding to USF.[37] In 2018, Genshaft announced her retirement from position as president of USF.[38]
The university's seventh president, Steven C. Currall, took office on July 1, 2019.[20] During his tenure, the university broke into the top 50 best public colleges in the nation according to rankings by U.S. News & World Report, achieving a 44th-place ranking in 2019[39]
Currall led the university through the COVID-19 pandemic, which included budgetary hardships brought by a loss in state funding (including a controversial proposal to phase out the College of Education - later dropped due to fierce opposition).[40] On July 19, 2021, Currall announced his retirement as president, citing "health and family reasons." He remained on the faculty of the Muma College of Business.[41]
After Currall's resignation, Rhea Law, a USF alumna and former USF Board of Trustees chair, was appointed as interim president.[42] The Board of Trustees selected Law for the permanent job as president on March 22, 2022, and she is the first USF graduate to serve in the role.[43] Law stated her top priorities were for USF to reach a top-25 public university ranking, to gain admission into the Association of American Universities, and to build an on-campus football stadium.[44] USF was accepted into the AAU in 2023.[45]
In 2025, the university established the Bellini College of Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity, and Computing following a $40 million donation from Arnie and Lauren Bellini, the largest donation in USF's history.[46] The Bellini College offers eight undergraduate and advanced degree programs, including master's and doctoral degrees.[47][46]
In 1958, President John Allen commissioned a seal for the new university, wanting a symbol that would represent education on a global scale. USF's original colors were green, gold, and purple. These are also the colors of the Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity, of which President Allen was a member. Purple was later dropped and the official colors became just green and gold, but purple accents are visible on some of the older buildings on campus including the administration building which now bears the name of John Allen and his wife, Grace. Purple has since returned as a tertiary color for the university, though it has very limited use aside from some of the women's sports teams having purple accents featured on their alternate jerseys.[48][49]
In 2018, USF was classified as the third Preeminent university in Florida by the state university system.[50] For a public institution to achieve a status of preeminence, they must meet or surpass benchmarks in at least 11 of 12 metrics set forth by Florida lawmakers.[51]
USF is a member institution of the State University System of Florida (SUSF), which is overseen by the Florida Board of Governors.[52] Like all SUSF institutions, USF has a 13-member decision-making body called the Board of Trustees (BOT), consisting of the Faculty Senate President, Student Body President, six members appointed by the Governor of Florida, and five members appointed by the Florida Board of Governors.[53][54] The members appointed by the Governor and Board of Governors must be confirmed by the Florida Senate and each serve five-year terms.[54]
The BOT has many responsibilities, including setting the school's budget, strategic goals and objectives, and establishing policies related to academic programs. The USF BOT also appoints the USF president, who also serves as the chancellor of the Tampa campus and in turn appoints the chancellors of the St. Petersburg and Sarasota-Manatee campuses.[55]
USF is currently led by Rhea Law, who was appointed as interim president following the retirement of Steven C. Currall in August 2021, then selected for the permanent role in March 2022.[42][43] The chancellor of the St. Petersburg campus is Christian Hardigree and the chancellor of the Sarasota-Manatee campus is Karen Holbrook.
USF was previously identified as a university system from 1965 until 2020, but is now chartered as one university geographically distributed across three campus locations: Tampa, St. Petersburg and Sarasota-Manatee. Before being consolidated into one university geographically distributed, the University of South Florida System included three member institutions: USF Tampa (which was the flagship campus), USF St. Petersburg, and USF Sarasota-Manatee.[55] Each institution was separately accredited, had a distinct mission, and its own strategic plans.[55]
The USF System once included three other member institutions: one in Fort Myers, one in Lakeland, and a second Sarasota campus.
The Sarasota institution was originally a private college called New College which sold itself to USF in 1975 to pay off debt, and became New College of the University of South Florida.[60] As part of the deal, New College was allowed to keep its unique grading system.[60] It shared a campus with USF Sarasota-Manatee, which opened in 1975, but was accredited differently as USFSM was considered a branch campus rather than a member institution at the time. New College became the independent New College of Florida in 2001, but continued to share a campus with USFSM until a new one was built for USFSM in 2006.
Established in 1956, the USF Tampa campus serves more than 41,000 students.[63] The institution houses 14 colleges and is the doctoral granting campus of USF. The University of South Florida Office of Graduate Studies is based on the Tampa campus and serves as the center of leadership for graduate education at the University of South Florida.[64]
The Tampa campus is located in North Tampa east of the University neighborhood, about seven miles north of downtown. It is by far the largest of the three campuses, spanning 1,562 acres.[5] The campus is divided into different districts, with most housing located in the northeast, athletics and recreation in the east and southeast, research in the south and southwest, USF Health in the west, northwest and north, and undergraduate classes and student services in central campus.[65] Each college is divided into its own section within the district, for example with fine and performing arts in the north and northwest parts of the district, social sciences in the east, natural sciences and engineering in the south, and education and business in the southeast.
The campus is known for having over 19,000 trees, and has been named a Tree Campus USA by the Arbor Day Foundation every year since 2011.[66] In honor of this, nearly all streets on campus are named after trees, as are six of the 14 dorms. The tree motif is also seen on USF's ceremonial mace, which has a gold pinecone on the top to symbolize both growth and the fact that the first trees to be planted on the campus were pine.[67] These pine trees are still around today, in the field next to the main south entrance to the campus on LeRoy Collins Boulevard between Fowler Avenue and Alumni Drive.
USF first occupied the site of the USF St. Petersburg campus in 1965, taking over the former U.S. Maritime Training Center along Bayboro Harbor in downtown St. Petersburg.[20][29] It is located next to Albert Whitted Airport and less than a mile from the Salvador Dalí Museum and Al Lang Stadium. USFSP was a satellite campus from 1965 until 2006, when it was accredited as a separate entity from the USF Tampa campus within the University of South Florida System by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.[68] USFSP serves approximately 4,500 students per year and offers 33 undergraduate and graduate programs in arts and sciences, business, and education.[63]
When USF Sarasota-Manatee was established as a branch campus in 1975, it originally shared a campus with what is now the independent New College of Florida, but was at the time a USF system member called New College of the University of South Florida.[69] New College became independent of the USF system in 2001 and USFSM took its place as a member institution in the USF system, but USFSM and New College continued to share a campus until a new campus was completed for USFSM across the street in 2006.[70] Nearly 2,000 students take classes at USFSM each year. The campus offers 43 academic programs and certificates in arts and sciences, business, education, and hospitality and technology leadership.[71]
* middle 50% range, years before 2020 only include info from the Tampa campus † percentage of first-time freshmen who chose to submit
Muma College of Business building
USF offers 91 bachelor's degree programs, 103 master's degree programs, 48 doctoral degree programs, two specialist degree programs, and several certificate programs under 14 colleges.[7] Based on a semester system, the USF academic calendar is composed of three academic semesters each year.[81] The academic year begins in the fall, running from August to December.[81] The spring semester generally begins in January and ends in late April or early May.[81] The summer semester is broken down into three overlapping sessions – A, B, and C – that generally span either six or ten weeks.[81]
As of the 2024–25 academic year, tuition costs are:[82]
Undergraduate
$211.19 per credit hour for in-state students and $611.39 per credit hour for out-of-state and international students. Total (assuming 30 credit hours): $6,335.70 for in-state students and $18,341.70 for out-of-state and international students.
Graduate
$431.43 per credit hour for in-state students and $921.74 per credit hour for out-of-state and international students. Total (assuming 18 credit hours): $7,765.74 for in-state students and $16,591.32 for out-of-state and international students.
Nearly 49,000 students are enrolled at USF as of the 2023–24 academic year, including over 36,400 undergraduate students, 9,200 graduate students, 1,500 doctor of medicine students, and 1,400 non-degree seeking students.[4] USF is one of the 40 most diverse universities in the nation, with students representing every state, U.S. territory, and more than 140 countries.[10][84] International students represent approximately 12% of the total USF student population.[7] As of the Fall 2022 semester, the student diversity profile of the university was approximately: 50% White, 9% African American, 23% Hispanic of any race, 9% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, 4% two or more races, and 5% students who did not report their race.[5] Roughly 60% of USF students are female and 40% are male.[5]
The Fall 2022 Freshman class of approximately 4,000 students earned admission to the university with an average SAT score of 1309 out of 1600, ACT score of 29 out of 36, and high school GPA of 4.21. 41% of the members of the incoming class graduated in the top 10% of their high school class. Among the incoming class were 79 National Merit Scholars.[7]
For 2026, U.S. News & World Report ranked USF as tied for #88 overall on its list of Tier I National Universities and #43 among public universities.[97] U.S. News & World Report’s 2025 “Best Medical Schools: Research” ranked USF’s Morsani College of Medicine in Tier 1—the only Florida school so ranked—making it the state’s highest-ranked medical school for research.[98] USF was ranked #103 on the list of all universities, and #46 among public unitversities in 2020, and #181 among all national and #100 among public universities in 2010.[99] This ranking also put USF as #4 in Florida overall and #3 in Florida among public universities. In other rankings released by U.S. News, USF was the only Florida university in the Top 10 Best Value Colleges, at #8 among public universities. USF also ranked #17 in the nation overall, #12 in the nation among public institutions, and #1 in Florida on the U.S. News ranking of top National Universities for Social Mobility. Niche ranked USF #19 for top public universities in America and #67 for best colleges in America 2023. According to Niche, USF was home to the #6 Education Program, #10 Criminal Justice Program, #12 Information Technology Program, #18 Accounting and Finance Program, and #25 Nursing Program in the United States.[100]
As of 2022,[update] there were more than 15,000 instructional faculty and the student to faculty ratio for the campus was 22:1.[7] Approximately 86 percent of full-time faculty members held the highest degree in their field of expertise. Additionally, the university had more than 1,500 adjunct professors, 300 post-doctoral scholars, 2,000 graduate assistants, and 3,000 student assistants.[7]
The first USF Commencement ceremony was held in 1963 where 325 degrees were conferred.[24] Now, the school awards over 13,000 degrees each year. Commencement ceremonies are held three times a year at the end of the Fall, Spring, and Summer semesters.[103] Spring ceremonies are generally the largest, with five separate ceremonies held each semester.[24] Commencement ceremonies are held in the Yuengling Center.[103] Since 2013, graduate's names have been announced by Associate Athletic Director Jim Louk, who is known for being the "Voice of the Bulls" as the radio announcer for USF football and basketball games.[104]
The USF Tampa Library is the largest and most comprehensive library in the USF System.[105] In addition to providing students access to more than 2 million academic journals, databases, and books, the seven-story USF Tampa library offers tutoring and writing services, laptops, a career resource center, Course Reserves, and reservable group study rooms.[105] The USF Tampa Library also houses several Special and Digital Collections, including literature, oral histories, photographs, artifacts, and the university archives.[106] In 2012, the USF Tampa Library opened the Science, Math, and Research Technology (SMART) Lab: a hands-on learning space which includes more than 300 computer work stations.[107] In 2013, USF students successfully protested to keep the library open 24 hours a day/5 days a week during the Fall and Spring semesters for current students, faculty and staff who possess a valid USF ID card.[108] In 2017, renovations were completed on the 5th floor to bring 400 individual study spaces with personal lamps, electrical outlets, and USB ports for device charging, and provided new group study rooms with white boards.
In addition to the Tampa library, the USF Libraries system includes two regional library spaces[109] and the USF Health Libraries. The regional library spaces are the Nelson Poynter Memorial Library, located on the USF St. Petersburg campus, and the Information Commons Hub located on the USF Sarasota-Manatee campus.[109]
USF Health Libraries serve the USF Health community, with two locations, the Hinks and Elaine Shimberg Health Sciences Library located on the USF Tampa campus, and the Florida Blue Health Knowledge Exchange, located at the USF Health campus in downtown Tampa.[110][111] Beyond providing support to USF students, staff, and faculty, the libraries welcome members of the public who are doing health and medical-related research of their own.[110]
USF Health consists of the Morsani College of Medicine, College of Nursing, Taneja College of Pharmacy, College of Public Health, the School of Biomedical Sciences (within the College of Arts and Sciences), the School of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Sciences, and the USF Physician's Group.[115] USF Health researchers work in the fields of cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer's disease, prosthetics, heart health, genomics, and more.[116] The College of Nursing ranks first in Florida for universities receiving research funding from the National Institutes of Health.[10]
More than 400 healthcare professionals at USF Health treat patients throughout the state of Florida.[117] In 2012, the university opened the Center for Advanced Medical Learning and Simulation in downtown Tampa.[118] The 90,000-square-foot facility serves as an education and training center for health professionals around the world.[118] In 2020, the Morsani College of Medicine and USF Health Heart Institute moved to a new 395,000-square-foot, 13-story highrise tower in the Water Street district of downtown Tampa.[119] The Taneja College of Pharmacy moved to the facility the following year.[119]
The Interdisciplinary Sciences Building, one of the tallest buildings on the Tampa campus
USF signed the American College and University President's Climate Commitment in 2008 and submitted its Climate Action Plan in 2010 with a goal of a 10 percent reduction in carbon emissions by 2015.[121][122] Since then, the university has introduced several sustainability initiatives, including electric vehicle charging stations, water bottle filling stations, reusable plastic food containers in dining halls, recycling programs in residence halls, new, more efficient busses for the fare-free campus bus service, solar-powered golf carts, and more.[123] In 2011, the university introduced the Student Green Energy Fund, which allows students to propose and vote on projects that aim to reduce campus energy consumption, lower greenhouse gas emissions, and promote sustainable technologies.[124]
The nearly 20,000 trees on the Tampa campus provide an estimated $1.8 million yearly benefit to the university through energy conserved, stormwater management, and carbon dioxide removal. The campus is renowned for its number of trees and has been named a Tree Campus USA by the Arbor Day Foundation every year since 2011.[66]
Currently, the university has six LEED certified buildings, all of which are on the main Tampa campus or the downtown medical campus. They are the Dr. Kiran C. Patel Center For Global Solutions (Gold), Interdisciplinary Science Building (Gold), Yuengling Center (Silver), Center For Advanced Medical Learning and Simulation (Silver), Chowdhari Golf Practice Facility (Certified), and Morsani Center for Advanced Health Care (Certified).[125]
Engineering buildings II and III at USF, with the library in the background
Founded in 1988, The Center for Urban Transportation Research conducts over $13 million in research annually for a variety of public and private sector sponsors in Florida and the United States, including the Florida Legislature, the Florida Transportation Commission, and state and local governments, agencies, and organizations. CUTR houses the National Center for Transit Research, designated by the U.S. Congress in 1991, and reaffirmed in 1998, 2002, 2012 and 2013. Areas of research include public transportation, transportation planning, intelligent transportation systems, transportation demand management, transportation economics and finance, geographic information systems, access management, alternative fuels, and transportation safety, among others.[126]
The Materials Simulation Laboratory of the Department of Physics was established in 2002. The MSL researches condensed matter and materials physics using supercomputers as tools, focusing on quantum simulations under extreme temperatures and pressures, such as those conditions that occur in planetary interiors and during inertial confinement fusion.[127]
The USF Tampa campus provides multiple services and resources necessary for students to succeed both in the classroom and in their personal lives. Under the Division of Student Affairs, USF students have access to involvement opportunities, on-campus housing, dining facilities, recreational outlets, health and wellness services, and more.[129]
In 2008 the university opened a new student union called the Marshall Student Center. The name pays homage to Phyllis P. Marshall, the longtime director of the former student union, which was also named after her.[130] The four-story building features a 1,200 seat ballroom, 800-seat auditorium, 100 workstation computer lab, study and meeting spaces, several student lounge areas, and outdoor courtyards.[131] The facility offers several retail outlets including a credit union, commuter lounge, and identification card center.[132] The MSC features ten dining options including Panera, Chick-fil-A, and Subway.[133]
As the home of the USF Center for Leadership and Civic Engagement, Student Government, the Center for Student Involvement, the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life, and the Office of Multicultural Affairs, the center is considered to be the gathering place for all things student life at USF.[134]
The Centre Gallery is a student-run exhibition space within the Marshall Student Center for the University of South Florida's students, faculty, staff and alumni offering the university community and the Tampa Bay area stimulating visual art experiences by consistently exhibiting innovative, contemporary art work.
Centre Gallery, established in 1984, is the only fully student run, non-profit, exhibition space in the state of Florida. Exhibitions run in two-week durations during the Fall and Spring and three-week durations during the summer. These exhibitions are attended by over 4,000 visitors each semester.[135]
The original USF student union was built in 1959 and opened in 1960.[130] Originally called the University Center, it was one of the first five buildings that made up the USF Tampa campus when it opened.[130] In its early years, the University Center held the first on-campus women's residence hall, a cafeteria, post office, bookstore, game room, television room, and information desk.[130] Classes were held in the basement and first floor of the building until other academic buildings were completed.[130] The center underwent major renovations from 1988 to 1990.[130] It was renamed the Phyllis P. Marshall Center in 1993, in honor of the woman who served as director of the building from 1976 to 1994.[130] In order to better serve the growing student population on the Tampa campus, the building was torn down and replaced with a new 230,000-square-foot union in 2008.[130]
In 2022, the university established the Bellini Center for Talent Development, funded by a $10.6 million donation from alumni Arnie and Lauren Bellini.[136] The Center provides career services, industry-specific training, and internship placement support for business students in the Tampa Bay area.[136] The Center is located in a 9,000-square-foot facility on the university's Tampa Campus.[136]
The university has a total of 9 life size bronze bull statues across the three campuses, with one on the St. Petersburg campus, one on the Sarasota-Manatee campus, and seven on the Tampa campus (three in front of the south entrance of the Marshall Student Center, three in The Village housing complex, and one in front of the student entrance at the Yuengling Center, plus a 15-foot tall topiary bull at the north entrance of the Marshall Student Center). Each statue has its own distinct design with every bull standing in a different position.
These statues are a rich part of USF tradition. The original three statues (the ones outside the MSC, dubbed the "Running of the Bulls") plus the topiary bull represent the four years a student spends in college, with the topiary bull representing a student's senior year as it symbolizes the student's growth over the past four years and faces one of the main entrances to campus (Palm Drive) as it will soon run off into the world.
One of the most popular gathering spots on the Tampa campus is Martin Luther King, Jr. Plaza, which is located between the John and Grace Allen Building and the Marshall Student Center, marked by a small bust of the civil rights activist. Beneath the bust of Dr. King are five granite lines pointing in the directions of five cities significant to his legacy: Atlanta, Boston, Memphis, Montgomery, and Washington D.C. The bust faces a reflecting pool with fountains which marks the geographical center of campus. On the other side of the pool are stone tablets engraved with Dr. King's "I Have a Dream" speech.[137]
The 15 acre botanical garden on USF's Tampa campus was established in 1969 for use by the Biology Department.[138] The garden contains over 3,000 taxa of plants including fruit trees, bonsai trees, grasses, begonias, orchids, bromeliads, palms, aroids, bamboo, gingers, carnivorous plants, cycads, cactus and succulent plants, an herb and scent garden, wetland forest, temperate forest, subtropical shade garden, and Florida upland scrub and sandhill habitats. The gardens also has a medicinal herb garden, which is used by the USF College of Pharmacy for research purposes.[138] The garden is open to the public six days a week and admission is free for students.
Castor Beach is an artificial beach on campus by the lake outside of Betty Castor Hall, one of the largest dorms on the Tampa campus.[139] The beach is complete with white sand taken from the nearby Clearwater Beach, which is regularly voted as one of America's best beaches.[140] The area has a beach volleyball net, hammocks, and chairs with umbrellas and is a popular spot for relaxing on campus. Swimming in the lake is not allowed due to alligators and untested water quality.[141]
Juniper Hall (front) and Poplar Hall (back), the two largest dorms on campus
There are 14 sets of residence halls on the USF Tampa campus, offering traditional, suite, and apartment-style housing.[142] In total, these residential halls provide housing to more than 6,500 students.[142] The university also offers specialized housing options such as family housing, female-only housing, graduate student housing, and 14 houses for fraternity and sorority members in the Greek Village.[142] The first of these residence halls, Alpha Hall (later renamed to Kosove Apartments), funded by a "Dollars for Dorms" campaign,[143] opened in 1961.[144]
The St. Petersburg campus has three residence halls with over 600 beds.[145] The first of these residence halls, Residence Hall One (later renamed to Pelican Apartments), opened in 2006.[146]
The Sarasota-Manatee campus has one residence hall with 200 beds. This residence hall, Atala Hall, opened in 2024.[147]
The Campus Recreation Center on the USF Tampa campus is a 21,000-square-foot, WiFi-enabled fitness facility featuring a two-basketball court gymnasium, six group fitness rooms, a bouldering wall, a 200-meter indoor three-lane running track, 120 pieces of cardio equipment, six racquetball courts, and a 25-meter indoor swimming pool.[148] Inside the facility, members can work out, take group fitness classes, play intramural sports, rent equipment, receive personal training, undergo fitness assessments, and more.[149] The Campus Recreation Center, known as the USF Gymnasium at the time, was also the first on campus home to USF's men's basketball team, who played three home games there in 1978–79 before the completion of the Sun Dome. It also hosted all of the women's basketball team's home games from their founding in 1972 until they moved to the Sun Dome in 1980, as well as in the 2011–12 season while the Sun Dome underwent renovations (the men's team primarily played at Amalie Arena in downtown Tampa during that season).[150] This area has space for roughly 1,500 spectators.
In addition to the Campus Recreation Center, there are other, smaller fitness facilities on the USF Tampa campus: The Fit in the Village housing complex, the WELL in the USF Health area, and the Magnolia Fitness Center within the Magnolia Apartments complex; plus a 1.25-mile long fitness trail through the woods near the varsity tennis courts complete with exercise stations.[151][152]
Through the Campus Recreation Department, USF offers more than 30 intramural sports throughout the academic year.[153] USF Campus Recreation also maintains USF Riverfront Park, located 1.5 miles away from the Tampa campus.[154] The recreational park is only open for use to USF students, faculty, and staff.[154] Located on the Hillsborough River, the park boathouse offers canoeing, kayaking, and paddleboarding for a small fee.[154] Groups can sign up to climb the 55-foot high ropes course located at the park, which features three levels of challenges.[154] A less challenging version of the ropes course, called the low ropes workshop, allows teams to participate in trust-building exercises and group problem solving.[154] The park also has an 18-hole disk golf course.[155]
The Water Tower as seen from Simmons Park on the Tampa campus
The Campus Recreation Department also offers over 40 club sports teams to students, including rugby, lacrosse, and even ice hockey. These teams mainly compete against club teams from other nearby schools such as Florida, Tampa, and Central Florida as well as nationally in leagues like the American Collegiate Hockey Association. Club teams have won 17 national championships for USF; two in flag football,[156] two in karate,[157] two in cricket,[158] two in paintball,[159] nine in cheer,[160] and one in wakeboarding;[161] as well as one world championship in cheer.[162]
Harborwalk is an area on the St. Petersburg campus that connects the campus with other nearby attractions in the downtown area, including Poynter Park, the Salvador Dalí Museum, and Al Lang Stadium.[163] It runs along Bayboro Harbor on the east border of campus and is home to things like the University Student Center and Sembler Fountain.[29]
There are more than 600 registered student organizations at USF, including academic, professional, special interest, Greek, and multicultural groups.[164] USF students are welcome to join existing organizations or apply to create their own.[164] The USF Center for Student Involvement, located in the Marshall Student Center, provides multiple programs throughout the academic year, including the University Lecture Series, Homecoming Week, USF Week, and more.[164] In addition to the Center for Student Involvement, the Center for Leadership and Civic Engagement offers numerous opportunities for organization involvement, personal and organizational leadership development, and community service.[165]
There are 27 fraternities and 24 sororities recognized by the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life, all of which are located on the Tampa campus.[166] Four councils govern these chapters: the Interfraternity Council, the National Pan-Hellenic Council, the Panhellenic Association, and the Unified Greek Council.[166] Greek Village, a residential area on the USF Tampa campus offers housing for members of 12 fraternities and sororities.[167]
The USF Tampa campus offers three Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) programs: Air Force, Army, and Navy.[168] USF is one of only 38 universities in the nation to offer all three service ROTC programs.[169] The university was the first in the nation to create a Joint Military Leadership Center (JMLC) to house all three programs.[169] Located in the C.W. Bill Young Hall, the JMLC is a 53,000-square-foot state-of-the-art facility featuring a weapons simulation room, an outdoor rappelling wall, a joint cadet and midshipmen lounge, three lecture halls, and five classrooms.[169] The building is equipped to handle web-casting, video conferencing, and distance learning.[169]
The university offers three military-related minors at the Tampa campus.[168] The sixteen-credit hour Aerospace Studies Minor provides an understanding of military officer management and leadership concepts, as well as an analysis of the evolution of American defense policy and strategy.[168] The eighteen-credit hour Military Science Minor provides students with an in-depth understanding of Army leadership doctrine and a framework for applying such concepts outside of the classroom.[168] The eighteen-credit hour Naval Science and Leadership Minor places special emphasis on character development and effective communication skills, while providing an understanding of the Naval leadership doctrine and the fundamental principles used by leaders in the Navy and Marine Corps.[168]
Students enrolled in a USF ROTC program have the opportunity to live in the on-campus ROTC Living Learning Community (LLC).[170] Located in the suite-style Maple Hall, the ROTC LLC allows students to be exposed to the customs of each military branch, while developing camaraderie with their fellow cadets and midshipmen.[170]
The USF Student Government, like all Florida student governments, is an agency of the state created under Florida Statute 1004.26.[171] Student Government, made up of 250 student volunteers and employees, is responsible for advocating for students at the university, local, state and national levels.[171] The Student Senate allocates over $17 million in activity and service fees a year by Florida law.[171]
The executive administration oversees several departments and service agencies including SAFE Team, Student Government Computer Services, and Bulls Radio.[171] The Student Body President can also be voted in to sit on the University Board of Trustees and is a member of the Florida Student Association (FSA).[171]
The Student Senate, headed by the Senate President and Senate President Pro-Tempore, creates legislation and allocates and expends activity and service fee funds per Florida Statute 1009.24.[171] The senate has 60 seats that are filled by the 14 colleges. Each college is allotted a certain number of seats depending on the size of the college.[171] The Senate carries out its duties mostly through committees.[171]
Beginning in 1961, a local afternoon newspaper, The Tampa Times, covered university news in the one-page weekly "Campus Edition".[172] Now defunct, the newspaper was succeeded by The Oracle.[172] First published in 1966, the weekly broadsheet was distributed every Wednesday.[172] Housed today in the Student Services Building of the Tampa campus, the student-run newspaper is published four times a week during the Fall and Spring semesters and twice a week during the Summer semesters.[172] The 12,000 circulation newspaper has been recognized by the Society of Professional Journalists and the Associated Collegiate Press for excellence in journalism.[172]
Owned by USF, WUSF (FM) first began airing in 1963.[20] A member station of National Public Radio, the broadcast studio is located on the USF Tampa campus.[173] Currently, the FM station broadcasts NPR and local news during the day and jazz music in the overnight hours.[174] The station is funded by local corporate and private contributors, as well as the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and is affiliated with the Public Broadcasting Service.[174] In 2003, WUSF 89.7 became the first public radio station in the nation to broadcast a digital signal.[173] Today, WUSF Public Media offers local and national news coverage, educational programming, and jazz and classical music through WUSF 89.7, WSMR 89.1, WEDQ, IntellisMedia, and WUSF New Media.[173]
The student-run radio station at USF, now known as Bulls Radio, first went on the air in 1988.[175] Formerly known as "WBUL" until 2009, the station broadcasts from the Marshall Student Center, where student reporters and DJs broadcast from a studio featuring a window that overlooks the Bullpen restaurant.[175] Now one of the largest student-run radio stations in the state of Florida, Bulls Radio can be heard on 1620 AM, 88.5 HD2 or online.[175]
USF's hand sign is "Horns Up", similar to Texas's "Hook 'em Horns". The sign is used by fans at games for good luck during field goals, extra points, free throws, etc.; and as a general greeting or show of school spirit.
Since 1995, the university has shined green lights (as opposed to the usual white lights) on its iconic water tower the night following a victory by any of the Bulls sports teams to let the campus and surrounding area know of the win.[176] The school also lights the water tower green for special events like homecoming and commencement ceremonies.[177]
The Bull Market is an open air weekly market that hosts a combination of vendors, student organizations, and not-for-profit organizations showcasing their products and services. The Bull Market takes place every Wednesday outside the Marshall Student Center and is one of the oldest traditions at USF.[178]
The university has a motif of trees, with nearly 20,000 on the Tampa campus alone.[66] The love of trees started with USF's first president John Allen, who wanted to cover the university with them since there were zero trees on the campus when it was founded. Still today, students plant dozens of trees every year on Arbor Day. In honor of this, much of the campus is or once was named after trees. Nearly every road at the Tampa campus is, besides Alumni Drive, LeRoy Collins Boulevard (named after the governor of Florida who signed the bill that created USF), and Genshaft Drive (known as Maple Drive until 2019 and named after former USF President Judy Genshaft, who filled the position for nearly 20 years). Many dorms are also named after trees, and the football team's original meeting facilities were called "the Ponderosa".[179] In addition, the university mace is crowned with a gold pinecone which signifies both growth and that the first tree planted on campus by President Allen was a pine tree.[67]
Beginning in 1964, homecoming festivities are one of the longest standing traditions at USF. Events include a comedy show, a homecoming ball, a concert, a parade, and a carnival (called Carni-BULL), all leading up to the football game that weekend. Before USF's football team was founded, homecoming took place in the spring semester and led up to a basketball game.[137]
In 2009, Tampa mayor and USF alum Pam Iorio declared April 9 as USF Day. The celebration has evolved to include the entire week of April 9, and features events including a pep rally, talent show, battle of the bands, a birthday celebration for Rocky the Bull, and Bullstock, a music festival which features multiple artists and is opened by the winner of the battle of the bands competition the day prior.[137]
The university alma mater was composed by USF professor of music Wayne Hugoboom in 1960.[180] The song was the result of a campus competition, for which Hugoboom won the first-place $250 prize.[180] The alma mater was first used in 1961 and can be heard at the opening of every USF Commencement Ceremony.[180] It is also played by the USF Herd of Thunder marching band and Rumble pep band after every football and basketball game, respectively.[180] A recording of the song is also played over the loudspeakers at sports which do not feature either the Herd of Thunder or Rumble.
USF's fight song, the Golden Brahman March, is named after the original USF mascot.[23] In 1962, students voted to make USF's mascot the Golden Brahman, a breed of cattle, because of the state's history in cattle raising.[23] Although the university mascot has since evolved into the Bulls, the fight song name preserves the history of this USF icon.[23] In 2011, the university athletics department launched a campaign to encourage students, faculty, staff, and fans to memorize the song.[181] Today, incoming students are taught the song, along with other USF cheers, during new student and transfer orientation sessions.
"The Bull" (also known as Number 8) is a rallying cry played by the USF Herd of Thunder marching band that encourages fans to stand up and circle the "Go Bulls" hand symbol above their heads.[180]
USF competed in its first intercollegiate athletic event on September 25, 1965, when it defeated the Florida Southern College men's soccer team.[182] The university was admitted into the NCAA in 1968, and currently competes at the NCAA Division I level.[20] USF was a charter member of the Sun Belt Conference, joined Conference USA in 1995, was admitted into the Big East Conference in 2003, and is currently a member of the American Conference.[11] There are nearly 500 student-athletes across 20 varsity sports competing for the university each academic year.[183]Michael Kelly is the current athletic director.
USF teams have won 171 conference championships and one NCAA national championship (women's swimming in 1985) as of May 2025. They also have four NCAA national runner up finishes (men's swimming in 1971, men's golf in 1971 and 1972, and rifle in 1989). Athletes have won 19 individual NCAA national championships (seven in women's swimming, six in men's swimming, two in rifle, three in men's outdoor track and field, and one in men's indoor track and field) and five relay NCAA national championships (three in women's swimming, one in men's swimming, and one in men's outdoor track and field).[184][185][186][187][188] Despite the numerous individual, relay, and team national championships in rifle, men's swimming, and women's swimming, the university no longer sponsors any of these sports.[189][190][191] In non-NCAA sanctioned varsity sports, the USF softball team won the American Softball Association National Championships in 1983 and 1984. This was the highest level of college softball at the time as the NCAA didn't start sponsoring the sport until 1985. The Bulls sailing team won the 2009 Inter-Collegiate Sailing AssociationSloop National Championship and the 2016 and 2017 ICSA Offshore Large Boats National Championships.[192][193]
USF also offers many club teams, including men's and women's rugby, cricket, and men's ice hockey.[197] USF's club teams have won 17 national championships and one world championship in their various divisions.[156][157][158][159][161][162][198][199]
Opened in 2004, the Lee Roy Selmon Athletic Center is the main headquarters for USF Athletics.[201] In 2012, the facility was dedicated to the late Lee Roy Selmon, a Pro Football Hall of Fame member and former Director of USF Athletics.[202] Selmon is considered by many to be the "Father of USF Football".[202] The 104,000-square-foot facility houses all of USF's sports teams except for men's and women's basketball, sailing, and volleyball.[201] The building features a large strength and conditioning center, a sports medicine clinic, the USF Athletic Hall of Fame and trophy room, and an Academic Enrichment Center complete with a computer study lab, a library, study lounges, and academic counseling.[201]
The Yuengling Center on the Tampa campus is the home facility of the men's and women's basketball teams and the women's volleyball team. The first event held in the facility was a basketball game in 1980.[203] Since the opening of the arena, it has been the site for USF Commencement Ceremonies, orientation sessions, and other major university events.[204] The facility has also played host to a number of outside events including sports and entertainment events such as WWE ThunderDome, consumer shows, religious services, conventions, rodeos, youth sports camps, gymnastics and cheerleading competitions, lectures, and political rallies.[205] The venue is also one of the top concert spots in the Tampa Bay region, having hosted musicians like Elton John, Florence and the Machine, Frank Sinatra, Heart, Sting, and more.[206] The building became LEED Silver certified in 2014.[125]
The USF football team plays at Raymond James Stadium, home to the NFL'sTampa Bay Buccaneers. USF is one of only five FBS teams to play in an NFL stadium (the others being Miami, Temple, Pitt, and UNLV).[207] The stadium is located 13 miles away from the Tampa campus and has a capacity of more than 75,000 people, making it the largest in the American Conference, but seating for most games is limited to the lower bowl, cutting capacity to around 45,000. The student section at Raymond James is the largest in the conference with over 12,000 seats.[207]
The USF men's and women's soccer teams play at Corbett Stadium on the main campus in Tampa. The stadium has over 1,000 seats, plus standing room only space for over 2,000 more on the grassy berms that surround the field. Corbett Stadium opened in 2011 and replaced USF Track and Field Stadium as the home of the Bullsmen's and women's soccer teams.[208] Corbett Stadium also hosts the USF football team's annual spring game.[209] It will be home to the women's lacrosse team when they begin play in 2024.[210]
The USF Spirit Squads — consisting of the USF Sun Dolls dance team, USF Cheerleading Squad, Rocky the Bull, and the Herd of Thunder marching band — play an integral role in USF Athletics.[211] In addition to supporting USF varsity athletic teams during sporting events, the spirit squads themselves compete at the national level.[211] Both the all-girl and co-ed teams regularly rank among the best in the country, with the co-ed team winning the UCA Division I-A national championship in 2021, 2022 and 2023 and the all-girl team winning the title in 2024.[212][213]
Rocky the Bull first began as a toy idea for the USF Bookstore in 1965.[23] Today's version Rocky was unveiled in 2003.[23] As the official mascot for USF, Rocky the Bull can be seen at USF Athletic events, as well as other major university and community events.[211]
The USF Herd of Thunder consists of several bands, including a 370-member marching band, pep band, show band, and winter guard.[214] The marching band performs at all home and some away USF football games.[214] The pep band, called the Herd of Thunder Rumble Pep Band, performs at all home men's and women's basketball and volleyball games, plus conference and NCAA tournament games in some other sports when applicable.[214] The show band is a 30-piece group that performs at select events that are unable to accommodate the full marching band.[214]
Ken Eriksen, 1984, former USF baseball player and USF softball head coach 1997–present, winningest head coach in USF history, Team USA softball manager 2011–present
Chucky AtkinsDerrick Sharp, 1993, EuroLeague basketball player and coach, 29 club titles including three EuroLeague championships as a player (2001, 2004, 2005), 9 club titles as a coach
^"Student Center/Residence Hall". Campus Expansion. University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee. Archived from the original on September 15, 2024. Retrieved March 3, 2024.
^ ab"Governing Councils". Fraternity and Sorority Life. USF Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life. Archived from the original on December 12, 2013. Retrieved July 22, 2013.
The University of South Florida (USF) is a public research university founded in 1956 as the first major state university planned and constructed in the United States during the 20th century, with its flagship campus located in Tampa, Florida.[1] It operates three campuses—Tampa, St. Petersburg, and Sarasota-Manatee—serving more than 50,000 students through 14 colleges and offering a broad array of undergraduate, graduate, and professional programs accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.[2][3]USF has achieved designation as a preeminent state research university, ranking in the top 10% of U.S. institutions by National Science Foundation research expenditures and second in Florida for higher education research and development spending, with annual expenditures exceeding $500 million supporting advancements in fields such as health sciences, engineering, and marine biology.[4][5][6] The university generates an economic impact of $3.7 billion annually in the Tampa Bay region, employs over 16,000 individuals, and has produced notable outputs including top-20 rankings among public universities for new patents and recognition as a leading producer of Fulbright scholars.[2][7][8]Key defining characteristics include its rapid growth from a regional institution to a major research powerhouse, with 164 faculty members identified among the top 2% of global scientists by citation impact and strong performance in interdisciplinary research, such as contributions to information systems publications ranking in the top 10 nationally.[9][10] While USF maintains a focus on empirical research and innovation, it operates within Florida's higher education system, which has faced scrutiny over legislative efforts to survey faculty viewpoints on ideological topics, reflecting broader tensions between state policy and academic autonomy.[11]
History
Founding and Early Expansion (1950s-1960s)
The University of South Florida was established through House Bill 1007, signed into law by Governor LeRoy Collins on June 18, 1955, authorizing the creation of a new state university in Hillsborough County to serve the growing population of the Tampa Bay region.[1] The Florida Cabinet approved the site's location on Fowler Avenue, a former World War II airfield known as Henderson Field, on December 18, 1956.[1] This selection reflected the state's post-war emphasis on expanding higher education access in urban areas, prioritizing a metropolitan institution over rural expansions. On October 22, 1957, the Florida Cabinet formalized the name "University of South Florida," positioning it as the southernmost university in the state system at the time.[1]John S. Allen was appointed as the founding president on July 16, 1957, bringing experience from the University of Florida to lead the institution's development.[12] Groundbreaking for the Tampa campus occurred on September 5, 1958, with initial construction focusing on essential facilities including the Administration Building, Chemistry Building, and University Center, completed at a total cost reflecting efficient state funding for rapid development.[1] USF opened as an upper-division institution, admitting only juniors and seniors, to align with state priorities for advanced education amid Florida's population boom driven by migration and economic growth in the 1950s.[13]The first classes commenced on September 26, 1960, with an opening convocation and nearly 2,000 students enrolling in the inaugural fall semester, demonstrating immediate demand for local higher education options.[14] By December 1963, USF held its first commencement, awarding 326 degrees primarily in liberal arts and education, marking the transition to granting bachelor's degrees.[1] Enrollment expanded rapidly through the decade, supported by the addition of undergraduate programs in 1964 and full four-year status, alongside infrastructure growth including libraries and laboratories to accommodate increasing student numbers and academic offerings.[13] In 1965, the university achieved full accreditation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, affirming its academic standards amid this foundational phase.[1]
Growth and Multicampus Development (1970s-1990s)
During the 1970s, the University of South Florida underwent rapid expansion driven by regional population growth and state investment in higher education, with enrollment rising from approximately 18,000 students in 1970 to over 34,000 by the early 1990s across its campuses.[15] This period saw the construction of numerous facilities on the Tampa campus, including the Sun Dome arena in 1980–1981 and the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center, which broke ground in the early 1980s and opened in 1986, reflecting increased research expenditures that climbed from $23.3 million in 1986 to higher levels by decade's end.[15] Under presidents Cecil Mackey (1971–1976) and John Lott Brown (1978–1988), USF added academic programs, such as engineering and nursing expansions, and grew its budget from $100 million in 1978 to $250 million by 1987, enabling the transition to a comprehensive researchinstitution.[1][15]Multicampus development accelerated to address localized educational demands, building on the St. Petersburg campus, which had opened in 1965 and was formalized as a branch in 1969.[16] By 1970, St. Petersburg enrollment exceeded 1,000 students, reaching 3,300 by 1990, with offerings in liberal arts, nursing, engineering, and marine science; facilities expanded via a 1978 groundbreaking supported by philanthropist Nelson Poynter, leading to the opening of Coquina Hall in 1984 for classrooms and services, and further developments like the Marine Science Center in 1994.[17][15] In 1975, USF established its Sarasota-Manatee campus as an upper-division extension, initially merging operations with New College of Florida and growing to nearly 2,000 students by the 1990s through programs like nursing degrees introduced in 1977.[18][15] Additional regional centers emerged, including Fort Myers in 1974 (peaking at 3,000 students mid-1990s before spinning off as Florida Gulf Coast University in 1997) and Lakeland in 1988 with the Curtis Peterson Academic Center, serving around 800 students by 1995 and focusing on ties with the Tampa campus.[15]By the 1990s, under President Betty Castor (1994–2002), the multicampus framework solidified USF's role in the State University System, with St. Petersburg and Sarasota-Manatee gaining momentum toward independent budgeting and accreditation processes initiated late in the decade.[1][16] This era's expansions, including over 210 buildings constructed system-wide in the 1970s–1980s, positioned USF as Florida's fastest-growing public university, contributing an economic impact of $1.1 billion to the Tampa Bay region by 1993 through enhanced research and workforce development.[15]
Preeminence Status and Modern Challenges (2000s-2020s)
In 2013, the Florida Legislature established the Preeminent State Research Universities Program to elevate select public universities through performance-based incentives, requiring institutions to meet at least 11 of 12 benchmarks, including six-year graduation rates exceeding 70%, freshman retention rates above 90%, National Academy of Engineering or similar memberships, annual research expenditures surpassing $200 million, and market value of endowments over $200 million per university.[19] The University of South Florida, under President Judy Genshaft, pursued this designation amid rapid enrollment growth from 40,000 students in 2000 to over 50,000 by 2016, alongside investments in research infrastructure that boosted annual expenditures to $336 million by fiscal year 2017.[19] In January 2016, USF earned "emerging preeminent" status by satisfying nine benchmarks, securing initial state funding of approximately $5 million annually to support further progress.[19] By June 28, 2018, USF met all 12 criteria, including a 74% six-year graduation rate and 92% freshman retention, earning full preeminent designation alongside the University of Florida and Florida State University, which unlocked $6.1 million in recurring state funding starting in the 2018-19 academic year.[19][20]This status facilitated enhanced recruitment of top faculty and students, contributing to USF's ascent in national rankings, such as entering the top 50 public universities by U.S. News & World Report in 2020, and supported initiatives like the expansion of the Morsani College of Medicine and partnerships with institutions such as Moffitt Cancer Center, where research funding exceeded $400 million annually by the early 2020s.[21] However, sustaining preeminence amid state budget constraints proved challenging; by 2025, Florida reduced overall preeminence funding from $100 million to $40 million system-wide due to legislative priorities, potentially straining resources for metrics maintenance.[22] Under President Rhea Law, who succeeded Genshaft in 2018, USF navigated the 2020 consolidation of its regional campuses into a unified system, aiming to streamline administration but facing internal debates over resource allocation across locations.[23]The 2020s introduced additional hurdles, including federal scrutiny over campus policies. In March 2025, the U.S. Department of Education launched investigations into USF for alleged race-based scholarships restricted to Black and Hispanic graduate students, citing potential violations of civil rights laws post the 2023 Supreme Court ruling in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard.[24] Concurrently, USF faced probes into handling antisemitic discrimination amid campus protests, joining over 60 institutions under review for failing to adequately address harassment reports following October 2023 events.[25] In April 2024, student-led protests demanded divestment from companies tied to Israel, echoing 1980s activism against South African apartheid investments, though USF's endowment policies emphasized diversified funds without immediate policy shifts.[26] Operational challenges included a 2025 circuit court ruling upholding USF's denial of fee refunds for pandemic-related campus shutdowns, amid broader fiscal pressures from enrollment fluctuations and hurricane recovery efforts.[27] Faculty at the Sarasota-Manatee campus expressed concerns in early 2025 over potential absorption by New College of Florida, highlighting tensions in regional integration post-consolidation.[28] Despite these issues, USF maintained research momentum, with federal grants supporting climate resilience and marine science programs established in the 2020s.[29]
Governance and Leadership
Board of Trustees and Administration
The University of South Florida (USF) is governed by a Board of Trustees (BOT) comprising 13 members, including six citizen trustees appointed by the Governor of Florida, five appointed by the Florida Board of Governors, the student body president, and the university president serving ex officio.[30][31] Trustees serve staggered four-year terms, with appointments emphasizing expertise in business, law, education, and community leadership to ensure fiscal responsibility and strategic oversight of the institution.[32] The BOT holds authority over university policies, budget approval, tuition setting, academic program development, capital improvements, and personnel decisions for senior leadership, while coordinating with the Florida Board of Governors for statewide system accountability.[30][33]As of October 2025, William "Will" Weatherford serves as BOT Chair; a former Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives, he holds a B.S. in international business from Jacksonville University and manages Weatherford Capital.[32] Michael E. Griffin acts as Vice Chair, a USF alumnus with a B.S. in business administration and current vice chairman at Savills.[32] The board includes diverse professionals such as Sandra Callahan, retired chief financial officer at TECO Energy Inc. with CPA credentials; Michael Carrere, former CEO of Lykes Brothers Inc.; N. Rogan Donelly, president and CEO of Tervis; Shilen Patel, CEO of HealthAxis; and Sumit Jadhav, the student body president pursuing degrees in computer science and financial analytics at USF.[32] On October 21, 2025, the BOT unanimously approved Moez Limayem, former dean of USF's Muma College of Business and president of the University of North Florida, as the university's next president, pending Florida Board of Governors confirmation.[34][32]USF's administration executes the BOT's directives through a structured executive team led by the president and provost. Prasant Mohapatra, appointed Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs in March 2023, oversees faculty affairs, curriculum, and enrollment as the chief academic officer.[35][33] Key senior leaders include Charles J. Lockwood, Executive Vice President for USF Health and dean of the Morsani College of Medicine; Jennifer Condon, Vice President and Chief Financial Officer managing budgets exceeding $2 billion annually; Sylvia Wilson Thomas, Vice President for Research and Innovation directing over $500 million in annual research expenditures; and Cynthia DeLuca, Vice President for Student Success handling enrollment for more than 50,000 students.[36][33] Regional chancellors, such as Christian E. Hardigree for the St. Petersburg campus and interim chancellor Brett E. Kemker for Sarasota-Manatee, report to the central administration to align multicampus operations.[36] This framework ensures operational efficiency, compliance with state mandates, and advancement of USF's research and educational priorities.[33]
Presidents and Key Leaders
The presidency of the University of South Florida (USF) has guided the institution's development from its establishment as a regional university in 1956 to a major research institution with preeminence status. Founding President John S. Allen laid the groundwork by overseeing initial construction and academic program launches, while subsequent leaders expanded research, enrollment, and infrastructure amid Florida's population growth and state higher education reforms.[12] Terms have varied in length, with some presidents serving amid interim periods or transitions, reflecting administrative challenges such as funding shifts and leadership searches.[12]
President
Term
Key Contributions
John S. Allen
1957–1970
Founding president who built foundational infrastructure, including 10 initial buildings and early enrollment growth to 18,000 students by 1970; initiated medical and nursing programs.[12]
Cecil Mackey
1971–1976
Expanded graduate education and research; established the medical school (now Morsani College of Medicine) and College of Nursing; initiated multicampus extensions to Sarasota-Manatee and Fort Myers.[12]
John Lott Brown
1978–1987
Increased research funding from $9.9 million to $23 million and enrollment from 23,000 to 30,000; founded the Graduate School and College of Public Health; budget grew from $100 million to $250 million.[12]
Francis T. Borkowski
1988–1993
Boosted enrollment to 34,000 and research grants to $60 million; led the "Campaign USF" fundraising effort raising $120 million; advanced planning for the football program.[12]
First female president; created the Office of Undergraduate Research and launched the football team; oversaw construction of facilities like the Gibbons Alumni Center and established the Institute for the Study of Latin America and the Caribbean.[12]
Judy Genshaft
2000–2019
Oversaw 40% enrollment growth, tripled graduation rates, and secured $1 billion in fundraising; increased endowment from $254 million to $480 million; achieved preeminence designation in 2018 under Florida's accountability system.[12]
Steven C. Currall
2019–2021
Consolidated USF's multicampus system into a single accredited university; elevated national rankings to top 50 among public institutions; raised $230 million and developed a 10-year strategic plan focused on innovation and student success.[12]
Rhea Law succeeded Currall as the eighth president, assuming the role on an interim basis in August 2021 before permanent appointment; her leadership emphasized system unification and response to post-pandemic recovery.[37] On October 21, 2025, the USF Board of Trustees unanimously selected Moez Limayem, former dean of USF's Muma College of Business (2012–2022) and president of the University of North Florida (2022–2025), as the ninth president, pending confirmation by the Florida Board of Governors on November 6, 2025; his start date remains to be finalized post-approval.[34][38]Key leaders beyond presidents have included provosts such as those under Genshaft and Law, who managed academic affairs during expansions, though specific tenures align closely with presidential priorities like research intensification.[39] The president's cabinet, comprising vice presidents for areas like business and finance, has supported operational execution, with figures like Jennifer Condon as chief financial officer aiding fiscal stability amid state funding fluctuations.[40]
Campuses and Facilities
Tampa Main Campus
The Tampa Main Campus, located at 4202 East Fowler Avenue in northeastern Tampa, Florida, encompasses over 1,500 acres and features more than 240 buildings.[41][42] This expansive site blends urban proximity to downtown Tampa with rural elements, including borders along 735 acres of forest preserve and riverfront recreation areas.[41] Established in 1956 as the original hub of the University of South Florida, it functions as the flagship location for most undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral programs, housing the majority of the system's approximately 50,000 students.[2][43]The campus supports extensive research and health initiatives, including the USF Research Park with its 120,000-square-foot facility equipped for advanced laboratories and innovation ecosystems.[44] Prominent health infrastructure features the Morsani College of Medicine's 13-story building and collaborations with Moffitt Cancer Center.[45] Academic facilities span colleges of engineering, business, and sciences, anchored by the USF Library, while recreational assets include the USF Botanical Gardens with over 3,000 plant species and natural habitats, and the USF Contemporary Art Museum.[41] Sustainability efforts have earned the campus recognition as a top performer in environmental stewardship.[41]Student life amenities comprise on-campus housing for about 6,400 residents and athletic venues like the Yuengling Center for South Florida Bulls competitions.[46] Ongoing expansions, such as the redevelopment of a 138-acre former golf course into mixed-use zones with additional housing, retail, hotels, and research spaces, aim to enhance capacity and integration with Tampa's growth.[47]
St. Petersburg Campus
The St. Petersburg campus of the University of South Florida is situated on waterfront property along Bayboro Harbor in downtown St. Petersburg, Florida, at 140 7th Avenue South.[48] Spanning the city's Innovation District, it functions as Pinellas County's sole residential public research university, providing access to over 40 undergraduate and graduate programs in a close-knit setting with small class sizes.[49]The campus originated on July 1, 1965, when USF took over the former U.S. Maritime Training Center site, with initial classes commencing September 7, 1965, for 260 freshmen housed in converted barracks.[16][50] By 1969, it had formalized as a branch campus emphasizing upper-division undergraduate and limited graduate offerings for commuter students, per a plan by USF's founding president John S. Allen.[16] Expansion accelerated in the late 1970s with groundbreaking on June 15, 1978, for new facilities including the Nelson Poynter Memorial Library; residential capabilities emerged with the first dorm groundbreaking in 2005.[16] Key endowments, such as a $10 million gift from Kate Tiedemann in 2014 naming the College of Business and a $5 million donation enabling Lynn Pippenger Hall's 2017 opening, supported further development.[16][49] Following the 2018 Florida Excellence in Higher Education Act, separate accreditation ended in June 2020, integrating it under USF's unified system while preserving local identity.[16]Academics prioritize experiential learning, including archaeology fieldwork and marine science conducted at sea, alongside disciplines like history, hospitality management, and Florida studies.[51][52] Enrollment centers on undergraduates, totaling around 3,900 with 2,570 full-time and 1,323 part-time as of 2023 data, though new undergraduate intake declined to 512 in fall 2024 from 740 the prior year amid system-wide growth.[53][54]Facilities encompass residence halls (e.g., Pelican Hall, Ibis Hall), a STEM robotics lab, Wealth Management Center, and Campus Recreation amenities like outdoor courts and aquatics.[49][55] Research funding rose from $4.5 million in 2017-18 to over $20 million in 2019-20, bolstered by sustainability initiatives such as a 140 kW solar array and LEED Platinum-certified labs.[49] Over 80 student organizations, including a co-ed sailing team, enhance campus life.[49]
Sarasota-Manatee Campus
The University of South Florida Sarasota–Manatee campus is situated at 8350 N. Tamiami Trail in Sarasota, Florida, along U.S. Highway 41 and across from Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport, providing convenient access to the Gulf Coast region's beaches, arts venues, and natural attractions such as Siesta Key and Myakka River State Park.[56][57] Established in 1975 as an extension of the USF Tampa campus, it began with off-site classes in the early 1970s focused on education before expanding into a dedicated regional site that shared facilities with New College of Florida until 2006.[18][58] The campus emphasizes a smaller, community-oriented environment within the broader USF system, fostering close student-faculty interactions amid Sarasota's cultural and economic vibrancy.[59]Facilities expanded significantly with the opening of a 134,540-square-foot, three-story academic building in August 2006, designed to accommodate up to 5,000 students.[60] In August 2024, the campus introduced its first on-site residence hall and student center, the six-story Atala Residence Hall and Campus Student Center, constructed at a cost of $42.3 million to support residential life and activities previously limited by commuter-only status.[18][61] These developments align with ongoing growth initiatives, including enhanced research and community partnerships in the region.[62]The campus delivers over 40 undergraduate and graduate programs drawn from five USF colleges: Arts and Sciences, Behavioral and Community Sciences (encompassing communication sciences and disorders, criminology, and social work), Muma College of Business, Education, and Nursing.[59][63] Offerings include bachelor's degrees in fields like business administration, psychology, and education; master's programs such as the MBA, MS in hospitality management, and MA in elementary education; and specialized graduate options in criminal justice and educational leadership.[64][65] Recent additions effective 2024 feature majors in behavioral healthcare, business analytics and information systems, and psychology, reflecting demand in local industries like tourism and healthcare.[66] With a student-faculty ratio of 13:1, the campus prioritizes small classes and mentorship, serving a student body estimated at around 4,000 as of 2024, bolstered by increased new enrollments system-wide.[59][67]
Historical USF System (1965-2020) and Consolidation
The University of South Florida (USF) established its multicampus system in 1965 with the opening of the St. Petersburg campus on July 1, initially utilizing former Maritime Service barracks for facilities, and commencing classes for 260 freshmen on September 7.[17][16] This expansion marked USF's transition from a single-campus institution in Tampa, founded in 1956, to a regional system designed to serve broader educational needs across west-central Florida, emphasizing access to upper-division and graduate programs in underserved areas.[1]The system further grew with the establishment of the Sarasota-Manatee campus in 1975 as a regional extension, initially sharing facilities with New College of Florida before relocating to its current site and expanding offerings in business, education, and liberal arts.[18] Over subsequent decades, the USF System operated as a federated structure with increasing administrative autonomy for regional campuses; for instance, the St. Petersburg campus achieved separate accreditation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools in 2006 while remaining under the overarching USF governance.[68] Similarly, Sarasota-Manatee developed distinct accreditation, fostering localized leadership but leading to fragmented branding and resource allocation that critics argued hindered system-wide competitiveness.[69]By the 2010s, the three primary units—Tampa, St. Petersburg, and Sarasota-Manatee—functioned as separately accredited institutions within the USF System, a decentralization enabled by state policies aimed at performance-based funding and institutional specialization.[69] This structure, however, drew scrutiny for diluting USF's national profile, as metrics like rankings often evaluated campuses independently rather than holistically.Consolidation efforts accelerated with the Florida Excellence in Higher Education Act of 2018, signed into law by Governor Rick Scott on March 2, requiring multi-institution systems like USF to unify under a single accreditation to enhance efficiency, researchcollaboration, and preeminence status eligibility.[1] The USF Board of Trustees formed a task force, submitted a substantive change prospectus to the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) on March 13, 2020, and received approval on June 12, 2020, culminating in full integration effective July 1, 2020.[70][71] This merger streamlined governance under one president and board, preserved campus identities for local programs, and positioned the unified USF as Florida's fourth-largest university by enrollment, with projected benefits including unified branding and $50 million in annual administrative savings.[69][72]
Academics
Colleges and Academic Programs
The University of South Florida maintains 14 colleges and schools, delivering 89 undergraduate majors alongside 139 graduate, specialist, and doctoral degree programs across its three campuses. Popular majors include business, biological sciences, social sciences, and psychology.[73] These units span foundational disciplines in arts, sciences, and engineering to specialized fields such as marine science, public health, and artificial intelligence, with offerings tailored to campus locations and emphasizing research integration where applicable.[74]The Bellini College of Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity, and Computing focuses on integrating artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and computing technologies, marking the first such college in Florida and a national pioneer; it offers programs at all degree levels on the Tampa campus.[75] The College of Arts and Sciences, the largest at USF, covers humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences with programs available across all campuses and degree levels.[75] The College of Behavioral and Community Sciences addresses quality of life, health, and safety improvements, providing all-level programs on all campuses and housing a major behavioral health research institute.[75]The Muma College of Business emphasizes leadership in business and societal contexts, offering programs at all levels across all campuses, with its graduate entrepreneurship program ranked among the top 25 nationally by The Princeton Review since 2008.[75] The College of Education prepares educators for regional, national, and international roles, delivering all-level programs on all campuses and ranking as one of Florida's largest producers of educators over the past decade.[75] The College of Engineering prioritizes sustainability, renewable energy, and biomedical engineering, with programs at all levels primarily on the Tampa and Sarasota-Manatee campuses, noted for innovative research leadership.[75]Additional colleges include the Patel College of Global Sustainability, which tackles global sustainability challenges through all-level programs on the Tampa campus; the Judy Genshaft Honors College, providing personalized learning for high-achieving students across all campuses; and the College of Marine Science on the St. Petersburg campus, recognized among top oceanographic institutions for research and training at all levels.[75] Health-related units encompass the Morsani College of Medicine for innovative medical education and research on Tampa campuses; the College of Nursing for nursing science advancement on Tampa and Sarasota-Manatee campuses; the Taneja College of Pharmacy for pharmaceutical care leadership on Tampa; and the College of Public Health, offering Florida's inaugural bachelor's in public health alongside advanced degrees on Tampa.[75] The School of Design, Art, and Performance supports architecture, arts, music, theatre, and dance with programs on Tampa and St. Petersburg campuses, including research institutes.[75]
Enrollment Demographics and Diversity
As of fall 2024, the University of South Florida enrolls nearly 50,000 students across its three campuses, including approximately 38,525 undergraduates and over 10,000 graduate students.[76][77] The gender distribution skews female, with 56.8% of undergraduates identifying as female and 43.2% as male; graduate programs show a comparable ratio, with about 58% female enrollment.[77][78]Racial and ethnic demographics, based on self-reported data, reflect a majority White student body, followed by significant Hispanic or Latino representation, as detailed in the table below for the most recent available figures (primarily undergraduates, consistent with overall trends):
[42][79] These proportions align with IPEDS-reported enrollment for fall 2023, with minor year-over-year variations; for instance, Black undergraduate enrollment rose nearly 4% to 2,975 students in fall 2024.[46]International students comprise approximately 8% of the total, numbering over 4,300 enrolled individuals in recent years, primarily from countries such as India, China, and Saudi Arabia, though exact fall 2024 breakdowns remain preliminary.[80][81] This segment has grown steadily, supported by USF's designation as a top destination for global talent, but excludes post-graduation work authorizations that inflate broader counts to over 7,000 participants.[81] Overall, the demographics indicate a student body shaped by Florida's regional population dynamics, with higher proportions of Hispanic and international students than national averages for public universities.[79]
Tuition, Financial Aid, and Accessibility
For the 2025-2026 academic year, undergraduate tuition and fees at the University of South Florida total $6,410 annually for Florida residents and $17,324 for non-residents, covering fall and spring semesters on the main campus.[82] These rates apply to full-time students taking 12-18 credit hours per term and exclude additional program-specific fees, such as those for engineering or health sciences programs, which can add several thousand dollars. Graduate tuition varies by program; for example, in USF Health programs, in-state rates range from $21,128 to $34,084 annually, while non-resident rates reach up to $67,579.[83] Florida's public university system subsidizes in-state tuition heavily through state appropriations, keeping costs below the national public four-year average of approximately $11,260 for residents.[84]USF administers federal, state, and institutional financial aid, with 88% of students utilizing some form of assistance, including grants, loans, and work-study.[85] The average grant aid award stands at $7,724 per student, exceeding the public university average by $455, primarily through federal Pell Grants for low-income undergraduates and state programs like Florida Bright Futures, which awards merit-based scholarships covering up to 100% of tuition for qualifying high school graduates.[86] Institutional scholarships, such as the Bulls Scholarship, provide additional merit aid averaging 2,000−10,000 annually based on GPA and test scores.[87] USF meets 57% of demonstrated financial need on average, with total aid packages reaching $15,184 for recipients.[88][89]Accessibility is reflected in USF's average net price of $11,578 after grants and scholarships, lower than the national average for public universities, enabling broader enrollment from lower-income families.[89] For students from households earning $0-$30,000 annually, the net price drops to around $4,820, supported by targeted federal and state aid that covers a significant portion of costs without reliance on loans.[90] The university provides a net price calculator for personalized estimates and emphasizes affordability through initiatives like the Florida Prepaid College Plan, which locks in future tuition rates.[91] However, out-of-state students face higher barriers, with net prices exceeding $25,000 after aid, contributing to a predominantly in-state student body.[92]
Faculty and Academic Staff
As of fall 2023, the University of South Florida's main campus employed 2,183 instructional staff members with faculty status, including 782 tenured faculty, 181 on tenure track, and the remainder in non-tenure-track roles.[93] This figure encompasses professors, associate professors, assistant professors, instructors, and lecturers across disciplines, contributing to a student-faculty ratio of 22:1 amid an undergraduate enrollment of approximately 38,500 in fall 2024.[42] In August 2024, USF added 291 new faculty members, a 29% increase over the prior year, bolstering expertise in areas such as research-intensive fields.[94]Faculty demographics reflect a composition dominated by non-Hispanic white members, who comprised about 67% of professors as of fall 2018, with Asian faculty at 16%; more recent data indicate persistent underrepresentation of black and Hispanic faculty relative to student demographics.[95] Instructional roles show gender variation, with female instructors numbering 281 and male professors 267 in 2023, per employment breakdowns.[79] Overall, USF's approximately 16,000 employees include administrative and support staff integral to academic operations, though specific breakdowns for non-instructional academic staff are not publicly detailed in recent reports.[76]Notable faculty include Susan S. Bell, Distinguished University Professor in Integrative Biology, recognized for contributions to ecology, and Timothy H. Dixon in geosciences for geophysical research.[96] Robin Murphy, a professor of engineering, directs the Center for Robot-Assisted Search and Rescue, advancing robotics applications.[97] In 2023, 164 USF faculty ranked in the global top 2% of researchers by citation impact, per Stanford University analysis, underscoring strengths in STEM and health sciences despite broader institutional challenges in faculty retention amid state policy shifts.[9][98]
Rankings and Recognition
National and International Rankings
In the 2025-2026 U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges rankings, the University of South Florida placed 88th among national universities, marking its highest position to date and an improvement from 91st the previous year.[42][99] Among public universities, it ranked 43rd, reflecting seven consecutive years of ascent driven by metrics such as graduation rates, social mobility, and faculty resources.[6][100]Forbes' 2026 America's Top Colleges list positioned USF at 112th overall, evaluating factors including alumni salaries, debt levels, and return on investment.[101]Internationally, USF ranked 357th in the U.S. News & World Report Best Global Universities 2025, assessed on bibliometric indicators like publications, citations, and international collaboration.[102] In the QS World University Rankings 2026, it placed tied for 654th, based on academic reputation, employer reputation, faculty-student ratio, citations per faculty, and international faculty-student ratios.[103] The Times Higher Education World University Rankings did not assign a specific band for USF in the core 2025 list but placed it 301-400th in the Impact Rankings for sustainable development goals.[104] The Academic Ranking of World Universities (Shanghai) 2025 categorized USF in the 401-500 range, emphasizing research output, quality, and highly cited researchers.[105] These global positions highlight USF's strengths in research productivity amid competition from research-intensive institutions worldwide.
Research Output and Patents
The University of South Florida reported $461 million in total research expenditures for fiscal year 2023, encompassing sponsored activities across science, engineering, and other fields.[5] This figure reflects growth from $333 million in fiscal year 2020, as documented in the National Science Foundation's Higher Education Research and Development (HERD) survey, positioning USF among the top 100 U.S. institutions for research spending.[106] In fiscal year 2024, USF secured $738 million in research awards, a 7% increase from the prior year and part of a 35% rise over five years, supporting outputs in areas like health, engineering, and sustainability.[5] These expenditures fund faculty-led projects, with federal sources contributing significantly, though institutional reporting may emphasize totals without always distinguishing between awards and actual outlays verified by NSF methodologies.[107]USF's research productivity includes peer-reviewed publications tracked through university repositories and databases like Scopus, with aggregated data showing approximately 3,500 publications in 2023 yielding over 164,000 citations.[108] Such metrics, derived from global indexing, highlight strengths in medicine, engineering, and environmental sciences, though citation counts can vary by field and database coverage.[109]In patent activity, USF's Technology Transfer Office facilitated 86 new U.S. patents issued in fiscal year 2025, including innovations in medical devices and stereology systems for cancer analysis.[110] This placed USF among the top 20 public universities for new utility patents, driven by disclosures from 234 inventions that year and licensing agreements commercializing faculty research.[7] The office's efforts emphasize practical translation, with patents assigned to the university board of trustees and supported by federal grants, though success rates depend on market viability beyond issuance numbers.[111]
Graduation Rates and Outcomes
The University of South Florida maintains a first-year retention rate of 91.5%, a four-year graduation rate of 65.6%, and a six-year graduation rate of 74.2%, based on data from the 2023 academic year.[112] These figures represent substantial progress from earlier benchmarks, with the six-year rate rising from 48% in 2009 to nearly 70% by 2017 and continuing to improve through institutional student success programs focused on retention and completion.[113][112] Disparities persist by gender, with male students achieving a six-year graduation rate of 71% compared to 76% for female students in 2023, prompting targeted initiatives to address male student success.[114]
Metric
Rate (2023)
First-year retention
91.5%
Four-year graduation
65.6%
Six-year graduation
74.2%
Post-graduation outcomes for USF alumni show median earnings of $48,328 six years after completing a bachelor's degree, according to federal data analyzed by U.S. News & World Report.[42] Early-career earnings average approximately $39,000, varying significantly by major; for instance, graduates in high-demand fields like engineering or health professions often exceed $100,000 in initial median income, while broader averages reflect the diverse student body.[115][116] USF's Office of Decision Support provides program-specific dashboards indicating employment rates above 90% for many degrees within six months of graduation, supported by career services and regional industry ties in Tampa Bay.[117] These outcomes align with national patterns for public research universities, where completion and earnings are influenced by factors such as entry preparation and program selectivity rather than institutional prestige alone.[115]
Research and Innovation
Major Research Centers and Institutes
The University of South Florida maintains numerous research centers and institutes focused on interdisciplinary collaboration, supporting its research expenditures of $692 million in fiscal year 2023.[118] These entities address challenges in areas such as oceanography, transportation, cybersecurity, health, and engineering, often partnering with state agencies and industry.The Florida Institute of Oceanography (FIO), hosted by USF, coordinates a 32-member consortium dedicated to advancing coastal and ocean science, education, and resource management through shared research vessels and facilities.[119] Established to unify marine science efforts across Florida institutions, FIO facilitates large-scale oceanographic studies and supports public-private partnerships for deep-sea exploration technologies.[120]In transportation, the Center for Urban Transportation Research (CUTR), founded in 1979, conducts applied research, education, and technical assistance for public transit, highway safety, and sustainable mobility, serving national and international agencies.[121] CUTR has influenced policy through projects funded by the U.S. Department of Transportation, emphasizing data-driven solutions for urban infrastructure.[122]The Florida Center for Cybersecurity, known as Cyber Florida, established by the Florida Legislature in 2013, serves as the state's hub for cybersecurity research, workforce development, and industry outreach, fostering innovations in threat detection and secure systems.[121] It collaborates with government and private sectors to build Florida's cybersecurity ecosystem.[123]USF Health's Byrd Alzheimer's Center and Research Institute focuses on the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of Alzheimer's disease, offering clinical trials, biomarker studies, and caregiver support programs.[124] The center integrates laboratory research with patient care to advance understanding of neurodegenerative disorders.[124]Affiliated with USF, the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, designated as an NCI Comprehensive Cancer Center since 2001, conducts translational research in cancer biology, epidemiology, and personalized medicine, with USF faculty holding joint appointments.[125] This partnership enables integrated training and discovery programs, contributing to clinical advancements.[126]In engineering, the Nanotechnology Research & Education Center (NREC) advances multidisciplinary work in nanomaterials synthesis, characterization, and applications for energy and biomedical fields.[121] Similarly, the Clean Energy Research Center (CERC) investigates photovoltaics, energy storage, and biofuels to promote sustainable technologies.[121] These centers underscore USF's emphasis on applied innovation.
USF Health and Medical Research
USF Health encompasses the Morsani College of Medicine, College of Nursing, College of Public Health, and College of Pharmacy, integrating medical education, patient care, and research to advance health outcomes.[127] The Morsani College of Medicine (MCOM) directs much of the medical research, focusing on basic, translational, and clinical sciences across departments, institutes, and affiliated hospitals such as Tampa General Hospital and the James A. Haley Veterans' Hospital.[128] Research emphasizes biomedical sciences, clinical applications, and healthcare delivery innovations addressing human disease.[128]In fiscal year 2024, MCOM and its partners secured $380 million in total research funding, including $187 million from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), supporting advancements in areas like stroke care through clinical trials and neuro-interventional techniques.[129][130] Key initiatives include the RISE (Research, Innovation & Scholarly Endeavors) program, which fosters student scholarship to improve global health outcomes, and the newly established Center for Hypertension and Kidney Disease Research in February 2025, aimed at pioneering treatments for cardiovascular and renal conditions.[131][132]USF Health collaborates extensively with the Moffitt Cancer Center for oncologyresearch, leveraging shared facilities and expertise in cancer genomics and immunotherapy.[127] Interdisciplinary efforts extend to military medical innovation via the Office of Military Medical Innovation and Research (OMMIR), partnering with the Department of Defense for trauma and simulation-based studies.[133] The 35th annual USF Health Research Day in 2025 drew a record over 500 attendees, showcasing posters on topics from molecular pharmacology to public health disparities.[128] These activities contribute to USF's broader record of $738 million in university-wide research funding for fiscal year 2024, with health sciences playing a central role.[134]
Key Initiatives in Sustainability, Transportation, and Emerging Technologies
The University of South Florida coordinates sustainability efforts through its Office of Sustainability, emphasizing energy efficiency, native species planting, green cleaning, and renewable energy projects across campuses. The St. Petersburg campus achieved a Silver rating in the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (STARS) as of its latest reported assessment.[135] New construction targets LEED Gold certification, while renovations aim for LEED Silver, incorporating water conservation and eco-friendly materials.[136] In July 2025, Duke Energy funding enabled installations of electric vehicle charging stations and solar-powered outdoor study spaces at the St. Petersburg campus, enhancing campus-wide renewable integration.[137] Residential facilities implement single-stream recycling, energy-efficient lighting, low-flow fixtures, and HVAC occupancy sensors to reduce consumption.[138] USF earned inclusion in the 2025 Princeton Review's Guide to Green Colleges for these commitments, alongside a 2021 national third-place ranking for contributions to United NationsSustainable Development Goals, reflecting measurable progress in emissions reduction and resource management despite self-reported data limitations.[6][139]In transportation, USF's Center for Urban Transportation Research (CUTR) drives initiatives as the university's largest non-health research entity, focusing on multimodal solutions, transit integration, and policy analysis with annual expenditures exceeding $19 million from contracts and grants.[140] CUTR's Transit Research Program examines advanced vehicle technologies and emergency response planning, including evaluations of public transit disruptions.[141][142] The Transportation Planning, Policy, and Processes program addresses congestion, organizational management, and statewide planning.[143] In June 2019, USF secured $7.5 million in federal funding to launch the National Institute for Congestion Reduction, targeting traffic relief through innovation.[144] CUTR also leads a $17 million federal grant initiative on rail industry workforce development, promoting careers in freight and passenger rail.[145]USF advances emerging technologies through research in AI, robotics, and cybersecurity, with the Technology Transfer Office facilitating commercialization of innovations like immunomodulatory therapies derived from faculty work.[146] Generative AI initiatives integrate tools into education, enabling faculty to guide ethical applications for student assignments and real-world engagement, with ongoing updates to policies as capabilities evolve.[147] A 2024 partnership with Microsoft deployed Copilot across operations to boost efficiency in administrative and creative tasks, aligning with broader AI literacy and immersive learning pilots funded by the Florida High Tech Corridor.[148][149]Robotics research develops projection-based communication for emergency scenarios, such as displaying instructions on debris, while cybersecurity efforts contribute to national solutions amid rising threats.[150] These programs, supported by incubators like the Tampa Bay Technology Incubator, emphasize practical deployment over speculative applications.[151]
Student Life
Housing and Residential Facilities
The University of South Florida provides on-campus housing primarily on its Tampa campus, with facilities also available on the St. Petersburg and Sarasota-Manatee campuses. As of fall 2025, approximately 7,500 students reside in university housing across the system, including about 6,500 on the Tampa campus alone.[152] Tampa's residence halls operated at full capacity in September 2025, reflecting increased demand amid enrollment growth, while St. Petersburg exceeded capacity at 103.4% and Sarasota-Manatee stood at 85.3%.[153] Housing options encompass traditional-style halls, suite-style residences, and apartment-style units equipped with full kitchens, serving first-year undergraduates, upperclassmen, and graduate students.[154]Traditional-style halls emphasize communal living and include Beta Hall in the Argos Complex, which accommodates 280 students in double rooms with shared bathrooms on each floor.[155] Other traditional options like Castor Hall and Pinnacle Hall feature amenities such as laundry facilities, multipurpose rooms, and media lounges to foster community interaction.[156] These halls primarily house first-year and sophomore students, promoting structured social environments typical of introductory college experiences.Suite-style halls provide greater privacy with semi-private bathrooms shared among roommates, blending independence with proximity to peers. Poplar Hall, located between Magnolia and Beard Drives, houses 630 primarily first-year students.[157] Cypress Hall accommodates about 430 residents, including upperclassmen, with multiple common areas, while Summit Hall holds 498 students in a mix of traditional and suite rooms.[158][159] Additional suite options like Maple Hall (approximately 230 residents) and Juniper Hall cater to a range of undergraduates, featuring study lounges and recreational spaces.[160]Apartment-style housing offers full kitchens and more autonomous living, suitable for upperclassmen and graduate students. Graduate-specific accommodations include Magnolia Apartments, providing furnished units with proximity to academic facilities.[161] The Greek Village supports fraternity and sorority chapters with dedicated housing, integrating residential life with organizational activities.[154] Residential education programs, overseen by Housing & Residential Education, emphasize academic support, community building, and policy enforcement to maintain safe living environments.
Campus Recreation and Athletics Facilities
The University of South Florida's Campus Recreation and Wellness (RecWell) program manages recreational facilities on the Tampa campus, emphasizing physical activity, wellness, and leisure for students, faculty, and staff. The primary indoor venue is the Recreation & Wellness Center (REC), situated at 12301 USF Genshaft Drive adjacent to the Yuengling Center, which provides access to cardio and strength training equipment, group fitness classes, aquatics facilities including pools for lap swimming and lessons, indoor courts for sports like basketball and volleyball, and equipment checkout services.[162][163][164] Outdoor offerings include reservable spaces such as sand volleyball courts, multipurpose fields at locations like Magnolia Fields and Research Park, and programs through the Outdoor Resource Center featuring adventure trips and climbing activities.[165][164] Additional satellite fitness options, such as The FIT, supplement the REC with focused strength and cardio zones.[166]USF varsity athletics facilities support the South Florida Bulls competing in the American Athletic Conference across 17 sports. Key on-campus venues include the Yuengling Center, home to men's and women's basketball and volleyball; USF Baseball Stadium (The Ray) for baseball; USF Softball Stadium for softball; and the USF Track & Field Stadium for track and field events.[167][168] The Corral serves as a practice and training area, while the Golf Center supports golf programs.[167] Football games are currently hosted off-campus at Raymond James Stadium, but construction of a dedicated on-campus stadium at Sycamore Fields, previously used for intramurals, is planned to enhance student-athlete resources and game-day experiences.[169] Recent investments include a $50 million football operations facility opened in 2024 and $25 million in broader athletics upgrades announced in 2023, aimed at modernizing training and competition spaces.[170][171] These developments are part of a master plan to position USF as a competitive destination in a growing region.[172]
Student Organizations, Greek Life, and Governance
The University of South Florida maintains over 700 registered student organizations on its Tampa campus, encompassing academic, professional, special interest, religious, service, multicultural, recreational, and other categories to accommodate diverse student interests.[173][174] These groups operate under oversight from the Center for Leadership and Civic Engagement, with registration and event coordination facilitated through the BullsConnect platform, which lists 872 active student-led entities as of recent records.[175] In 2025, more than 350 organizations experienced budget cuts of up to 50% due to a funding shortfall addressed by reallocations from student fees, highlighting fiscal constraints in supporting extracurricular activities.[176]Fraternity and Sorority Life at USF includes 46 chapters governed by five councils: the Interfraternity Council, Panhellenic Association, National Pan-Hellenic Council, National Association of Latino Fraternal Organizations, and Multicultural Greek Council.[177][178] These organizations emphasize values such as leadership, scholarship, and community service, with chapters including national fraternities like Alpha Epsilon Pi and Delta Tau Delta, and sororities such as Alpha Delta Pi, Chi Omega, and Delta Gamma.[179] Fourteen national chapters reside in the on-campus Greek Village, providing dedicated housing for members who meet eligibility criteria including good academic standing.[180] Participation requires affiliation with a council and adherence to university policies on recruitment, hazing prevention, and event approvals.Student governance is administered through the USF Student Government, a tri-cameral structure comprising executive, legislative, and judicial branches that allocates activity fees—totaling millions annually—and advocates for student concerns to universityleadership.[181] The executive branch, led by an elected student body president and vice president, oversees operations and initiatives, while the legislative senate represents campus constituencies and the judicial branch resolves disputes and interprets bylaws.[182] Separate student governments exist for the St. Petersburg and Sarasota-Manatee campuses, coordinating under a unified "One USF" framework for system-wide issues.[183] The organization, staffed by over 120 students, focuses on enhancing the campus experience but has faced scrutiny over funding decisions, including the 2025 cuts to organizations amid shortfalls.[176]
Traditions and Campus Culture
The University of South Florida cultivates a campus culture centered on "Bull pride," emphasizing school spirit through student-led events, athletic traditions, and symbolic gestures that unite its diverse undergraduate and graduate population of over 50,000.[184] As a relatively young institution founded in 1956, USF's traditions reflect modern, evolving practices rather than centuries-old rituals, with a focus on inclusivity in spirit activities organized by groups like the Campus Activities Board.[185][186] Greek life and fraternity/sorority events contribute to social dynamics, though they are less dominant compared to more established universities, alongside a moderate party scene concentrated on weekends.[187][188]Central to USF's traditions is the "Go Bulls!" hand symbol, originally introduced as a good-luck gesture for basketball free throws and now a ubiquitous emblem flashed at games, rallies, and campus events to signal unity and enthusiasm.[184] The mascot, Rocky the Bull, embodies the university's bovine-themed identity, appearing at pep rallies and athletic contests alongside the Herd of Thunder pep band, which performs the "Running of the Bulls"—a pre-game ritual where band members and fans in mock Pamplona attire charge onto the field or through campus during Homecoming parades, fostering high-energy crowd participation.[189][190][191]Homecoming, held annually since 1964 and expanded into a week-long celebration by the 2020s, features a kickoff pep rally with presidential speeches, a parade, comedy shows, and student competitions under themes like "Forever Green and Gold," drawing thousands to showcase alumni connections and community involvement.[189][192][193]Other recurring events reinforce seasonal and academic rhythms, including USF Week for new student orientation with talent shows and civic discussions, Week of Welcome comedy performances, and Green Wednesday—a mid-semester spirit day highlighting the university's green-and-gold colors.[194][195] The Book of Bull serves as an official guide compiling these practices, songs like the Alma Mater and Fight Song, and symbols such as the scoring celebration at football games, where fans mimic bull horns after touchdowns.[189] Casual cultural elements, like the Bull Market outdoor vendor fair and relaxation at Castor Beach, complement formal traditions by providing low-key social outlets amid the commuter-influenced lifestyle.[184][196] Overall, these elements promote a pragmatic, event-driven culture prioritizing athletic loyalty and peer engagement over entrenched historical pageantry.[197]
Controversies and Criticisms
DEI Policies and Florida State Reforms
Prior to Florida's state reforms, the University of South Florida maintained a dedicated Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) office and reported significant expenditures on related initiatives. In a 2023 state-mandated disclosure to Governor Ron DeSantis, USF documented $8.7 million in total DEI and critical race theory-related spending for the prior fiscal year, including over $1 million for the diversity office operations, funds for a supplier diversity program linking minority-owned businesses with university opportunities, and $4.12 million for the federally supported Upward Bound program aiding low-income and first-generation students.[198]Florida's reforms began with DeSantis's December 2022 executive order requiring public universities to report DEI expenditures, culminating in Senate Bill 266, signed into law on May 15, 2023. SB 266 prohibits state universities from using state or federal funds for DEI programs, activities, or positions that promote political or social activism, including those involving "diversity, equity, and inclusion" or "political or social advocacy" initiatives, while exempting programs required for professional accreditation.[199][200] The Florida Board of Governors responded with Regulation 9.016 in November 2023, enforcing these restrictions and mandating reviews of general education courses to exclude those emphasizing systemic racism or sexism as core tenets.[201]In compliance, USF phased out its central DEI office by early 2024, redirecting its webpage to SB 266 implementation guidance and reassigning five staff members to other roles without refilling the vice president position.[202]University leaders, including President Rhea Law, affirmed ongoing support for access and opportunity, stating diversity remains integral despite structural changes.[202] By March 2025, USF began systematically deleting DEI-related content from university webpages, news articles, PDFs, and audits, including anti-racism resources, diversity committee descriptions, and structural racism discussions in departments such as psychology, history, and English, to align with state directives.[203]Implementation has faced scrutiny amid federal investigations and internal incidents. In March 2025, the U.S. Department of Education launched a probe into USF for alleged racial discrimination via race-based scholarships in the McKnight Doctoral Fellowship Program, part of a broader review of over 50 universities under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act.[204][205] Separately, USF Health official Haywood Brown resigned in March 2025 following leaked audio in which he described strategies to circumvent anti-DEI laws, such as rebranding initiatives and leveraging private funding, prompting criticism of incomplete compliance efforts.[206] These events reflect ongoing tensions between state mandates for viewpoint-neutral policies and prior institutional emphases on identity-focused programming.
Free Speech, Protests, and Campus Governance Issues
In April 2024, pro-Palestinian protesters at USF's Tampa campus demanded divestment from companies with ties to Israel, leading to demonstrations that escalated on April 30 when participants refused to disperse after a rally, prompting police intervention and the arrest of 10 individuals for trespassing and related charges.[207][208] The university administration stated the protest had become unsafe, justifying the response to restore order, while protesters alleged excessive force including tear gas use against non-violent demonstrators.[209][210]Subsequent administrative actions included temporary suspensions and expulsions for some participants, such as a student expelled despite being near degree completion, which critics argued violated due process and free speech protections under the First Amendment and Florida's free expression laws.[211][212] In October 2024, students organized a protest on October 1 advocating for broader free speech rights at USF, resulting in further suspensions for participants, including a junior sociology major who described the university's stance as contradictory to its stated policies.[211]Tampa Bay Students for a Democratic Society filed a federal civil rights complaint in January 2025 and a lawsuit in October 2025 against USF, alleging 19 counts of constitutional violations, including retaliation for pro-Palestinian activism, denial of due process, and discrimination under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act.[210][213][214] The suit claims the university derecognized the group and imposed unequal restrictions on their speech compared to other organizations, seeking reinstatement and damages; USF has defended its actions as necessary to prevent disruptions and ensure campus safety.[215][216]USF faced a federal investigation by the U.S. Department of Education in March 2025 for potential failure to address antisemitic harassment during these protests, amid reports of Jewish students feeling unsafe due to rhetoric equating Zionism with racism or calling for Israel's elimination.[217][218] This probe highlights tensions between protecting free expression and combating discrimination, with the university affirming compliance with federal laws while critics from both sides accuse it of bias—protesters of suppressing dissent, and others of tolerating hostility toward Jewish students.[219]On campus governance, the Student Government Senate narrowly passed a non-binding resolution in April 2024 by one vote urging administrative divestment from certain companies linked to Israel, echoing 1980s protests over South Africa ties but facing pushback from university trustees who rejected similar student demands.[220][26] Additional controversies include the Student Government's Elections Rules Committee censoring communication between candidates and the student newspaper, potentially infringing First Amendment rights as noted by the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE).[221][222] In February 2025, an ethics probe into the student body president and vice president stalled over allegations of malfeasance in contract handling and failure to convene required meetings, underscoring internal accountability lapses.[223]
Investigations into Scholarships and Admissions Practices
In March 2025, the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights initiated a Title VI investigation into the University of South Florida for allegedly awarding impermissible race-based scholarships, following a complaint alleging racial discrimination.[224][225] The probe, notified to USF on March 13, 2025, targets the McKnight Doctoral Fellowship Program, which restricts eligibility to African American and Hispanic doctoral students, providing up to $5,000 in annual tuition support and a $12,000 stipend for three years, with potential additional universityfunding.[226][225] Established in 1984 and administered by the FloridaEducation Fund at nine Florida public universities including USF, the program seeks to increase representation of these groups among faculty by supporting underrepresented doctoral candidates.[226][225] As of January 2025, USF hosted seven active fellows under the program.[226]The investigation stems from the 2023 Supreme Court decision in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard, which prohibited race-conscious admissions and extended scrutiny to race-based benefits like scholarships under Title VI, prohibiting discrimination in federally funded programs.[224][225] USF's probe is one of dozens targeting institutions for similar practices, with the university also facing review of admissions processes for potential race-based discrimination.[224] The McKnight program's explicit racial eligibility criteria are cited as evidence of exclusionary practices, despite its stated goal of addressing historical underrepresentation in academia.[226][225]USF has stated it will fully cooperate with the federal inquiry, asserting that the program complies with Florida Statutes Section 1009.70, which authorizes such fellowships to promote educational equity.[226][225] The university removed certain program webpages amid the scrutiny, aligning with broader state efforts under Senate Bill 266 to eliminate DEI-related initiatives, though the investigation focuses on federal compliance rather than state policy alone.[224] As of October 2025, the probe remains ongoing without public resolution or findings.[224]
Political Interference and Academic Freedom Debates
In 2022, the University of South Florida became a focal point in legal challenges to Florida's Stop WOKE Act (HB 7), which prohibits teaching in K-12 and higher education that certain concepts related to race and sex—such as that individuals are inherently racist or that systemic oppression is embedded in American institutions—constitute discrimination or create guilt based on race or sex. USF history professor Adriana Novoa and the student-led First Amendment Forum filed suit on September 6, 2022, arguing the law violates the First and Fourteenth Amendments by chilling classroom discussions on topics like white privilege and unconscious bias, potentially jeopardizing $73 million in state funding for noncompliance.[227] A federal district court issued a preliminary injunction in November 2022 halting enforcement of the higher education provisions at Florida's public universities, including USF, with the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals showing division on the issue as of June 2024; proponents of the law, including Governor Ron DeSantis, maintain it promotes viewpoint diversity and prevents indoctrination in public institutions funded by taxpayers.[228][229][230]Subsequent reforms under Senate Bill 266 (2023) required USF to overhaul its general education core courses, effective fall 2025, by prohibiting content that distorts historical events or asserts U.S. institutions are inherently racist, sexist, or designed to oppress specific groups, with noncompliant courses removed from the curriculum. USF's Board of Trustees approved these revisions in August 2024, mandating faculty to align syllabi accordingly; critics, including faculty advocates, contend this curtails academic inquiry into social dynamics, while state officials argue it counters ideologically driven curricula lacking empirical balance.[231][199]Debates over post-tenure review, enacted statewide via Senate Bill 7044 (2022), have also implicated USF, with the university's faculty senate raising concerns about the policy's dependence on "substantiated student complaints" for evaluating productivity every five years, potentially inviting subjective political pressures over scholarly merit.[232] Across Florida public universities, including USF, a 2024 survey of approximately 350 faculty found 39% had applied for positions outside the state since 2022, citing tenure uncertainties, academic freedom restrictions, and the politicized climate as factors, though over 90% of reviewed tenured faculty met or exceeded expectations under the new system.[233][234]Instances of perceived direct interference include Governor DeSantis's 2023 veto of $20 million in funding for a USF Sarasota nursing school, interpreted by some as retaliation against a state senator's endorsement of a political rival, exemplifying broader tensions between legislative oversight and institutional autonomy.[235] Faculty responses at USF and statewide reflect apprehension, with organizations like the American Association of University Professors documenting a "tremendous sense of dread" and self-censorship amid reforms aimed at curbing what proponents view as entrenched left-leaning biases in academia.[236]
Notable Alumni and Faculty
Notable Alumni by Field
Entertainment
Hulk Hogan (born Terry Gene Bollea in 1953), a professional wrestler, actor, and television personality who became a WWE icon in the 1980s with 12 world heavyweight championships, attended the University of South Florida on a wrestling scholarship before dropping out after one year to focus on music gigs with local bands.[237]Lauren Hutton (born Mary Laurence Hutton in 1943), a pioneering supermodel and actress known for her gap-toothed smile and roles in films like American Gigolo (1980), spent her first year at the University of South Florida in Tampa before relocating to New York City to launch her modeling career.[238]Mark Consuelos (born in 1971), an actor best known for portraying Mateo Santos on All My Children (1995–2001 and 2010) and co-hosting Live with Kelly and Mark since 2023, earned a Bachelor of Arts in marketing from USF in 1994.[239]
Sports
Tony La Russa (born in 1944), a Baseball Hall of Fame manager who led the Oakland Athletics (1989), Chicago White Sox (2005), and St. Louis Cardinals (2006, 2011) to World Series titles with a career record of 2,728 wins, received a degree in industrial management from USF in 1969 while playing minor league baseball.[240]Jason Pierre-Paul (born in 1989), an NFL defensive end who won Super Bowls XLVI (2011) with the New York Giants and LV (2021) with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, accumulating 94.5 career sacks, transferred to USF for the 2009 season where he recorded 9.5 sacks and earned first-round draft status.[241]Neven Subotić (born in 1988), a professional soccer defender who played over 300 matches for Borussia Dortmund (2008–2017), helping win two Bundesliga titles, briefly joined the USF men's soccer team in 2006 before turning pro in Europe.[242]
Politics and Government
Danny Burgess (born in 1982), a Republican FloridaState Senator representing District 23 since 2020 and former U.S. House candidate, graduated with a degree in political science from USF in 2008 and previously served as mayor of Zephyrhills.[243]Mario Díaz-Balart, a Republican U.S. Congressman for Florida's 26th District since 2021 (previously Districts 21, 25, and 24 from 2003–2021), is a USF alumnus who has focused on foreign policy, including support for democracy in Latin America.[244]Houston Moffitt, Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives from 1982 to 1984 and a key figure in founding the Moffitt Cancer Center, earned his degree from USF and practiced law in Tampa.[245]
Business
Walid Abukhaled, Chief Executive of Northrop Grumman in Saudi Arabia since 2010, holds a BS in industrial and management systems engineering from USF and has overseen major defense contracts in the Middle East.[246] USF business alumni frequently lead fast-growing firms, as recognized in the annual Fast 56 Awards, which honor entities like Baldwin Risk Partners for revenue growth exceeding 200% over three years under alumni ownership.[247]
Academia and Science
USF alumni in academia include recipients of distinguished awards for research contributions, such as those in public health and engineering, though specific high-profile figures remain less publicized compared to other fields; the university's emphasis on applied sciences has produced leaders in biomedical and environmental studies, evidenced by alumni roles in institutions like the Abraham LincolnPresidential Library.[248]
Notable Faculty and Their Contributions
The University of South Florida has recognized several faculty members for pioneering work in biomedical engineering, materials science, and geosciences, among other fields, often evidenced by patents, national fellowships, and external awards.[249][250][251]In biomedical innovation, Michael Francis, professor in the Department of Orthopedic Surgery and Sports Medicine, developed electrospun nanofiber implants and collagen microfiber sutures that enhance tissue regeneration in procedures such as rotator cuff repairs, ACL reconstruction, and spinal fusions; his technologies hold 25 U.S. patents and earned induction into the Florida Inventors Hall of Fame in 2025.[249] Sumita Mitra, affiliated with the Institute for Advanced Discovery & Innovation, advanced dental restorative materials through nanoparticle composites, including the 3M™ Filtek™ Supreme Universal Restorative used in over 1 billion patient restorations worldwide, alongside innovations in resin-modified glass ionomers and adhesives; she holds more than 100 U.S. patents and was also inducted into the Florida Inventors Hall of Fame in 2025.[249] Subhra Mohapatra, professor of molecular medicine in the Morsani College of Medicine, pioneered nanoparticle-based drug delivery systems for targeted treatment of aggressive cancers including lung and colorectal types, securing 27 U.S. patents and Florida Inventors Hall of Fame recognition in 2025.[249]Jianfeng Cai, USF Preeminent Professor of chemistry, engineered novel peptidomimetics known as AApeptides to disrupt protein-protein interactions implicated in cancer, diabetes, infectious diseases, and Alzheimer's, earning election as a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors in 2024, along with prior fellowships from the Royal Society of Chemistry and the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering.[250] In mechanical engineering, Ashok Kumar advanced nanomaterials for multifunctional manufacturing applications, authoring 3 textbooks, publishing 315 papers, and holding 10 patents; his work led to fellowships in the American Association for the Advancement of Science, American Society for Materials, American Society of Mechanical Engineers, Society of Manufacturing Engineers, and American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering, plus NAI Fellowship in 2024.[250]Timothy H. Dixon, professor of geology and geophysics, applies satellite geodesy techniques including GPS, InSAR, and DORIS to model earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and crustal deformation, contributing over 19,000 citations to earth science literature; his innovations in space-based monitoring earned the 2010 George P. Woollard Award from the Geological Society of America and AAAS Fellowship in the Geology and Geography Section.[252][251][253]
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