USF is searching for the eighth president of the college after surveying students, faculty and staff.
Courtesy of Annalise Anderson | The Crow’s Nest
By Adriana Reeves
As USF proceeds to search for its eighth president, St. Petersburg students hope the university’s next leader prioritizes a relationship with the student body.
On Sept. 20, the university emailed a survey to the USF community and Tampa Bay leaders asking for input on its incoming president. Sept. 30 was the initial deadline to complete the survey, however, due to results not being “as robust” as administration would have liked, the deadline was extended to Oct. 30.
The eight-question survey received over 2,000 responses, most of which were from students.
Althea Johnson, USF assistant director of media relations, shared a few details regarding the results of the survey.
“The goal of the survey is to gather feedback on specific qualities to look for in the new president,” Johnson said in an email to The Crow’s Nest. “Responses are helping create a position profile that will be used to recruit and attract the strongest pool of candidates possible.”
The feedback from the survey is currently being analyzed by USF’s Executive Search Consultation, a search firm that is assisting in the search for the next president.
“The goal is to start interviewing candidates in March with a caveat that the timeline is subject to change depending on the quality of the candidate pool,” Johnson said.
The survey was created by the USF Presidential Search Committee, composed of 15 members, including members of the USF Board of Trustees, board members and professors.
St. Petersburg Regional Chancellor Martin Tadlock hopes the next president is prepared to rebuild the leadership team across all campuses.
“Universities do not operate like corporations when it comes to faculty and staff engagement in the governance of the institution. Also, the next president must be politically astute,” Tadlock said.
Senior mass communications major Edyn Gottlieb believes that the next president needs to prioritize the needs of students and be easily accessible.
“USF has gone through some major changes as a university over the past two years and I think it’s important that the president makes a conscious effort to stay connected to the student body and take their concerns and opinions into account,” Gottlieb said.
While she does not have anyone specific in mind, Gottlieb hopes that the incoming president will tackle issues like diversity and affordable housing for students.
In August, The Crow’s Nest reported that USF St. Petersburg welcomed a record-breaking 791 students to its residence halls.
“USF has a significant problem with diversity that needs to be addressed. Additionally, with rising housing costs, many students are already experiencing housing insecurity,” Gottlieb said.
Nicholas Jennings, also a senior mass communications major, believes the next president should put an emphasis on the St. Petersburg campus and create a fun environment for students to feel welcome.
“This campus is a go-to-class-then-go-home, not a stay-here-and-get-involved-with-community-and-entertainment like it was when I first came here,” Jennings said.
Jennings wants the next president to evolve with the university and demonstrate progressive ideas.
Since August, Rhea Law serves as USF’s interim president. She said she does “not plan” on applying for the permanent position.
Her position follows the sudden retirement of President Steve Currall, who served a two-year tenure, the shortest in USF history.
For more information on the Presidential Search Committee, visit usf.edu/board-of-trustees.
