Eisenberg served as dean of USF’s College of Arts and Sciences from 2007 to early 2022.
Courtesy of USF.
By Aubrey Carr
University of South Florida Interim Provost Eric Eisenberg has stepped down from consideration in the provost search to take on a newly created role within President Rhea Law’s cabinet.
Eisenberg will become senior vice president of university-community partnerships, a role created specifically for him.
In a university-wide email sent on Monday, Law announced her decision to ask Eisenberg to step down and her choice to create a new position for him.
“During the [provost] search, it became apparent to me that one of our candidates, Interim Provost Eric Eisenberg, has a broad and unique skill set that will be exceptionally important as we seek to distinguish ourselves as a model metropolitan research university,” Law said.
“Specifically, his deep relationship with our communities — with businesses, nonprofits and governments — and his far-reaching institutional knowledge suggest to me a different calling, specifically to lead the way in pursuing Goal Three in our Strategic Plan, ‘Partnerships and engagement with local, national and global impact.’”
Eisenberg reacted to his new position in a statement, sharing his gratitude for Law and his experiences at USF.
“I am grateful to President Law for this exciting new opportunity to focus on how the University of South Florida can make an even greater impact in communities throughout the Tampa Bay region,” Eisenberg said.
“While I am so proud of the tremendous accomplishments that I’ve witnessed and been a part of over the last 30 years, I am even more enthusiastic about what is to come: the opportunity to position USF as a transformational metropolitan university in full partnership with its communities,” he said.
According to Althea Johnson, director of media relations at USF, Eisenberg will “develop a cohesive and intentional strategy around the university’s community engagement activities,” as senior vice president.
The three other candidates in the running for provost alongside Eisenberg –– Pranesh Aswath, Erin Horvat and Giovanni Piedimonte, are no longer in consideration for the role of provost, according to Johnson.
Eisenberg will continue to act as interim provost through the spring semester as the provost search continues.
A longtime USF community member, Eisenberg was dean of the College of Arts and Sciences from 2007 to earlier this year when he became interim provost.
While dean, Eisenberg oversaw more than 700 faculty, 200 staff and 23 academic departments across the university’s three campuses.
“Eisenberg has partnered with numerous local public and private organizations throughout his career by advising them on strategic communication to improve organizational effectiveness,” Johnson said.
