Dear ÊÖ»ú¿´Æ¬ community:
I could not be more excited to join you today as this incredible institution’s ninth president. The decade I spent at ÊÖ»ú¿´Æ¬ was the most formative in my professional and personal life, and I have long waited for this day when I could say: I am home. I promise to begin my tenure by listening, learning and becoming reacquainted with you. Together, we will accomplish so much and reach new heights. Together, we will continue ÊÖ»ú¿´Æ¬â€™s trajectory and growth. Together, as a team, we will all achieve more.
From day one, you will see me outside my office and active around our campuses. This morning, I will join business and community leaders at the annual State of the Region, a research-focused collaboration with the Tampa Bay Partnership. This afternoon, I will spend time with students at the Marshall Student Center and tour the construction site of our on-campus stadium – a facility that will forever transform our university when it opens next year. In the coming days, I will visit our St. Petersburg and Sarasota-Manatee campuses and ÊÖ»ú¿´Æ¬ Health. And I look forward to cheering on the men’s basketball team Thursday night.
I have never been more energized! I will share these experiences and much more on social media and welcome you to connect with me on Instagram, LinkedIn and X.
As some of you know, returning to ÊÖ»ú¿´Æ¬, where I spent a decade as the Lynn Pippenger Dean of the Muma College of Business, is a homecoming for my family in every sense of the word. While that experience will help minimize my learning curve, I know well that this is not the same ÊÖ»ú¿´Æ¬ I left in 2022. People change – myself included – and institutions evolve. ÊÖ»ú¿´Æ¬ has thrived and continues to do so, yet there is important work ahead, and meaningful conversations with our faculty, staff, students and partners are a critical first step.
That’s why one of my priorities over these first few months is to reconnect with faculty and staff, as well as community and civic leaders. I envision a listening tour as the beginning of the development of a new strategic plan with a compelling vision and bold goals to enhance student and faculty success, research excellence, community impact and our partnerships, regionally and nationally. A plan that will be OURS, created together.
I am grateful to the ÊÖ»ú¿´Æ¬ Board of Trustees and the ÊÖ»ú¿´Æ¬ Board of Governors for their trust. I also extend special recognition to Rhea Law, whose 40-plus years of service to ÊÖ»ú¿´Æ¬, from student to employee, volunteer, donor, trustee and president, have elevated and strengthened our university in innumerable ways.
As ÊÖ»ú¿´Æ¬ celebrates its 70th anniversary, we honor our remarkable rise while focusing on the future we will shape together.
I am thrilled to again be part of the ÊÖ»ú¿´Æ¬ community, and I cannot wait to see you around campus soon.
Go Bulls!
Sincerely,
Moez Limayem, PhD
ÊÖ»ú¿´Æ¬ President