Pictured Above: St. Petersburg Regional Chancellor Dr. Martin Tadlock has agreed to hold off on returning to the College of Education to help ensure a thorough search for new campus leadership.
Nancy McCann | The Crow’s Nest
By Annalise Anderson
USF St. Petersburg Regional Chancellor Dr. Martin Tadlock announced Thursday that he has agreed to remain in his role until June 22, 2022.
Tadlock made the announcement during Thursday’s St. Petersburg Campus Board meeting. The extension requires Tadlock remain regional chancellor nearly six months past his initial departure date.
In January, Tadlock announced that he would step down from his position on Dec. 31 and return as a professor in the College of Education. But, following President Steve Currall’s sudden July 19 announcement to retire from the presidency, Currall asked Tadlock to remain in the position to give the university time to search for St. Petersburg’s next regional chancellor and vice chancellor for academic affairs vice provost.
Despite putting off his return to university faculty, Tadlock said that his colleagues made it an easy choice.
“A decision to stay is easy when you look around at the faculty and staff that we have on this campus and their dedication to the students here and they’re passionate about their work,” Tadlock said. “The invitational culture is just unique and very distinctive. This is a wonderful place to be.”
Tadlock emphasized the importance of finding strong campus leadership “that will continue to move things forward” by the end of the 2021-2022 academic year.
St. Petersburg Campus Board Chair Melissa Seixas thanked Tadlock and his family for their dedication to supporting “our USF family.”
“This is wonderful news for all of us and we’re thrilled,” Seixas said. “Martin, we are just so grateful for your leadership. Over the last few years that you’ve been here and through some really difficult and challenging times and we are especially grateful for your willingness to help us with this significant transition.”
Tadlock was named regional chancellor in August 2018 after serving as St. Petersburg’s interim chancellor for nearly a year. He’s earned praise from faculty and students for his level-headed approach to campus challenges, like consolidation and COVID-19.
Nancy McCann contributed to this report.
