President

University of South Florida
President

The University of South Florida’s (USF) Board of Trustees invites nominations and applications for the position of President. 

The University of South Florida
Founded in 1956, USF is a relatively young university with rich traditions – traditions of access and opportunity for students, academic excellence, groundbreaking research, and service to its communities. USF is home to a highly diverse student body of nearly 50,000 students supported by more than 15,600 faculty and staff. The university offers more than 180 undergraduate majors and concentrations with degree programs at the graduate, specialist, and doctoral levels, including the doctor of medicine. In addition to its ranking as #18 for social mobility by U.S. News & World Report, USF also ranks as one of the nation’s top 50 public universities (#46). Moreover, during the last decade, no university, public or private, has risen more spots in its Best Colleges ranking as USF. In fiscal year 2019-20, USF had $354 million in total research expenditures and an annual economic impact of $6.02 billion on Florida. 

Three distinct campuses – One USF
Situated in the diverse and fast-growing Tampa Bay region, USF is a high-impact global research university dedicated to student success with campuses in Tampa, St. Petersburg, and Sarasota-Manatee. USF’s campuses: 

Tampa campus – With more than 1,500 acres and 250 buildings, USF’s Tampa campus is the university’s largest research-intensive campus and includes state-of-the-art labs, a thriving student housing village store, performance spaces at the College of the Arts, and Athletics facilities. In addition, the USF Research Park covers more than 100 acres and is the crossroads where the university meets the region’s rapidly growing knowledge economy. The Tampa campus also includes the USF Health district, which consists of four health colleges that provide graduate and professional health programs and share campus space with the Moffitt Cancer Center. USF Health is supported by more than 1,000 health care providers who serve over 1 million outpatients each year.

St. Petersburg campus – Situated on 52 acres of waterfront in the heart of a thriving downtown, USF St. Petersburg offers small class sizes with a focus on hands-on learning, research opportunities and an intimate residential campus experience. Home to the College of Marine Science and the statewide Florida Institute of Oceanography, the campus is especially engaged in oceanography, coastal resiliency, environmental science and has a dedicated focus on arts, STEM education and finance.

Sarasota-Manatee campus – Located along the beautiful Sarasota Bay, the Sarasota-Manatee campus is unique in fostering a personalized learning experience where class sizes are small, and the student to faculty ratio is 13:1. The campus benefits from strong ties with the local communities, hosting the Florida Center for Partnerships in Arts-Integrated Teaching (PAInT), an accelerated nursing program, a School of Hospitality & Tourism Management, and a robust biology program with teaching laboratories at the Mote Marine Laboratory.

For more information about USF, please visit https://www.usf.edu/.

Position Summary
The President is appointed by the USF Board of Trustees and serves as the university’s chief executive officer responsible for setting the vision, strategy, and related institutional goals and objectives. The President, with their strong leadership team, will focus on achieving the university’s core mission in a culture that champions student success, academic excellence, and positively shaping the future – regionally, nationally, and globally.

USF’s next president will be an exceptional leader who will foster collaborative and effective relationships with students, faculty, staff, alumni, donors, business and community partners, legislative leaders, and other campus stakeholders. In doing so, the President will actively engage with campus colleagues and the community to spearhead the university’s efforts in setting a bold vision for USF’s future.

Qualifications
USF seeks a dynamic leader with a high level of energy and enthusiasm for the university’s mission, vision, and values. Leading candidates will demonstrate a visionary, compassionate, and humble leadership style with a commitment to the development of faculty, staff, and students. Moreover, the next President must have the ability to foster a university environment that exemplifies respect, innovation, collaboration and shared accountability. 

USF’s next President must possess exceptional communication and interpersonal skills, coupled with the ability to serve as an active and engaged listener and leader. In addition, the successful candidate will demonstrate a record of success in building and nurturing highly effective teams and developing and retaining exceptional staff. The successful candidate must also demonstrate the ability to play a pivotal and high-profile role in the region, guiding the university’s efforts in contributing to the area’s economic, civic, and cultural development. This will require a personal commitment to the university and an appreciation for the South Florida community it serves.

To view the full position profile and list of qualifications and desired qualities and characteristics, please visit https://www.spaexec.com/pd/USFPresident.pdf.

Application and Nomination Process
The Search Committee will begin reviewing applications immediately and will continue to accept applications and nominations until the position is filled. Applications should include a current curriculum vitae and a letter of interest describing relevant experience and interest in the position. Submission of materials via email is strongly encouraged. Nomination letters should include the name and contact information of the nominee. 

In accordance with the State of Florida’s open records laws, all nominations, applications, and letters of interest will be made public. Application materials should be submitted to:

Alberto Pimentel, Managing Partner
Will Gates, Partner
Sal Venegas Jr., Principal

SP&A Executive Search
6512 Painter Avenue
Whittier, CA 90601
Email: apsearch@spaexec.com
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