University of South Florida

University of South Florida

The University of South Florida, also known as USF, is a member institution of the State University System of Florida and a public research university located in Tampa, Florida, USA. Founded in 1956, USF is the fourth-largest public university in the state of Florida, with a total enrollment of 48,373 as of the 2014–2015 academic year. The USF system comprises three institutions: USF Tampa, USF St. Petersburg and USF Sarasota-Manatee. Each institution is separately accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.The university is home to 14 colleges, offering more than 80 undergraduate majors and more than 130 graduate, specialist, and doctoral-level degree programs.

USF is classified by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching in the top tier of research universities, and is among three other universities in Florida to hold this highest level of classification. In its 2011 ranking, the Intellectual Property Owners Association placed USF 10th among all universities worldwide in the number of US patents granted. The university has an annual budget of $1.5 billion and an annual economic impact of over $3.7 billion. In a ranking compiled by the National Science Foundation, USF ranks 43rd in the United States for total research spending amongst all universities, public and private.[

USF ranks in the top 100 best public schools in the 2014 Best Colleges edition of U.S. News & World Report. USF was named a national leader in online education by Guide to Online Schools. USF graduate level programs – including Public Health, Library and Information Studies, Education, and Criminology – continue to rank among the nation's 50 best in the U.S. News & World Report graduate school rankings.

History
USF's first president, John S. Allen.

USF was the first independent state university conceived, planned, and built during the 20th century. Former U.S. Representative Sam Gibbons was instrumental in the school's creation when he was a state representative and is considered by many to be the "Father of USF."  Though founded in 1956, the university was not officially named until the following year, and courses did not begin until 1960. The university was built off Fowler Avenue on the site of Henderson Air Field, a World War II airstrip.Before Henderson Field, the area was part of the 1920s 5000 acre temple orange grove, the largest citrus grove in the world at the time, which gave the nearby City of Temple Terrace its name. In 1957, the Florida Cabinet approved the name "University of South Florida." At the time, USF was the southernmost university in the state university system. In 1962, the official USF mascot was unveiled as the "Golden Brahman. In the late 1980s, the mascot evolved into the "Bulls.

The university grew under the leadership of John Allen, who served as its first president from 1957 until his retirement in 1970. During this time, the university expanded rapidly, due in part to the first master's degree programs commencing in 1964. Allen was known for his opposition to college sports in favor of an environment more academically-centered. Allen's ultimate legacy was to be the first person to build a modern state university from scratch: "As a completely new and separate institution, the University of South Florida became the first new institution of its kind to be conceived, planned and built in the United States in the 20th century. Today the John and Grace Allen Administration Building, named after the university's founding president and his wife, houses vital Tampa campus departments including Student Affairs, the Admissions Welcome Center, and the Controller's Office.

In 1970, M. Cecil Mackey became the university's second president. During his time at USF, Mackey opened the university's medical school, School of Nursing, and first-ever Ph.D. program. Additionally, Mackey worked to strengthen the St. Petersburg campus, while opening new satellite campuses in Sarasota and Fort Myers. While serving as university president, Mackey continued to teach economics courses in a conference room across from his office. Mackey first coined a new descriptor for USF: "a metropolitan university.  The term is still used to describe USF today.
Moffitt Cancer Center on the USF campus.

USF emerged as a major research i

nstitution during the 1980s under the leadership of the university's third president John Lott Brown. During his tenure, the USF Graduate School was established in 1980. In 1986, Brown oversaw the opening of the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute on the USF Tampa campus. USF became the first university in the nation to offer a Ph.D. in applied anthropology and the first in the State University System of Florida to offer a degree program in women's studies. In January 1988, USF Lakeland opened.

On February 15, 1988, Francis T. Borkowski was inaugurated as the university's fourth president. He served as president for five years, laying the groundwork for the university's football program, establishing on-campus housing for the USF president at the Lifsey House, and merging several colleges into the College of Arts and Sciences.

Betty Castor became the university's fifth president and first female president when she was inaugurated in January 1994. She served as USF president for six years until 1999. During this time, USF grew to be one of the largest universities in the nation in terms of enrollment. The Florida Board of Regents named USF a "Research 1" University in 1998. In 1997, the university began its inaugural season of NCAA football. Two years later, the Herd of Thunder marching band debuted. In 2006, Castor returned to USF to lead the Dr. Kiran C. Patel Center for Global Solutions. Castor stepped down from her position as director in 2009.

The university is currently led by its sixth president, Dr. Judy Genshaft, who took office in July 2000.She also serves as the president of the USF System. Under Genshaft's leadership, the university has emerged as a top research university and major economic engine with an annual economic impact of $3.7 billion.The university has expanded its global reach, with the opening of the first Confucius Institute in Florida in 2008 and the creation of the Genshaft/Greenbaum Passport Scholarship Fund in 2011, which provides financial support to USF students who want to study abroad. Under Genshaft, USF has continuously been ranked among the top veteran friendly universities in the country. In 2009, USF became the first university in the nation to partner with the United States Department of Veterans Affairs to offer specialized services for veterans taking advantage of the new G.I. Bill. USF continues to improve academically, being ranked among the best colleges in the nation by U.S. News & World Report. 2012, USF was recognized as one of the nation's largest producers of Fulbright Program scholars.
USF System

The University of South Florida System includes three member institutions: USF Tampa, USF St. Petersburg, and USF Sarasota-Manatee. Each institution is separately accredited, has a distinct mission, and its own strategic plans.The USF System once included two other satellite campuses, one in Fort Myers and the other in Lakeland. The Fort Myers campus opened in 1974 and closed in 2007, with the debut of Florida Gulf Coast University. The Lakeland campus opened in 1988 and split off from the USF System in 2012 to become the independent Florida Polytechnic University.
Leadership

The USF System is a member institution of the State University System of Florida (SUS), which is overseen by the Florida Board of Governors. Each SUS member institution, including USF, has a 13-member decision-making body called the Board of Trustees (BOT).  The USF BOT appoints the USF System President, who in turn appoints the Regional Chancellors of the member institu The USF System is currently led by President and Chief Executive Officer Judy Genshaft, who was appointed by the USF Board of Trustees in 2000.
Presidents
Person Years Person Years
John S. Allen
President

1957–1970

Francis T. Borkowski
President

1988–1993
Harris Dean
Interim President

1970–1971

Robert A. Bryan
Interim President

1993–1994
M. Cecil Mackey
President

1971–1976

Betty Castor
President

1994–1999
W. Reece Smith, Jr.
Interim President

1976–1977

Thomas Tighe
Acting President

Fall 1999
Carl Riggs
Interim President

1977–1978

Richard Peck
Interim President

1999–2000
John Lott Brown
President

1978–1988

Judy Genshaft
President

2000 – present
Tampa Campus
Overlooking the USF Tampa campus.

Established in 1956, the USF Tampa campus serves more than 41,000 students. It is composed of the main campus in Tampa, USF Health, and the College of Marine Science in St. Petersburg. The institution houses 14 colleges and is the doctoral granting campus of the USF System.
St. Petersburg Campus
Main article: University of South Florida St. Petersburg

USF first occupied the site of the USF St. Petersburg in 1965. In 2006, USFSP was accredited as a separate entity within the University of South Florida System by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools starting with the 2006–07 academic year. USFSP serves approximately 4,500 students and offers 33 undergraduate and graduate programs in arts and sciences, business, and education.
Sarasota-Manatee Campus
Main article: University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee

When USF Sarasota-Manatee was established in 1975, it originally shared a campus with the New College of Florida.New College and USFSM continued to share campuses until a new campus was built for USFSM in 2006.  Nearly 2,000 students take classes at USFSM each year. The university offers 43 academic programs and certificates in arts and sciences, business, education, and hospitality and technology leadership.
Academics
College of Business building.

The USF Tampa campus offers more than 80 undergraduate majors and 130 graduate, specialist, and doctoral degree programs under 14 colleges. USF offers academic courses year-round. The USF academic calendar is based on a semester system, with three academic semesters each year.The academic year begins in the fall, running from August to December.The spring semester generally begins in January and ends in late April or early May. The summer semester is broken down into three overlapping sessions – A, B, and C – that generally span either six or ten weeks.
Tuition

For the 2014-2015 academic year, tuition costs were:

Undergraduate
    $211.19 per credit hour for in-state students, and $575.01 per credit hour for out-of-state students. Total tuition/fees :$6,410 for in-state and $17,324 for out of state
Graduate
    $431.43 per credit hour for in-state students, and $877.17 per credit hour for out-of-state students. Total tuition/fees :$10,428 for in-state and $21,126 for out of state

Demographics

More than 41,000 students were enrolled at the USF Tampa campus in the 2014-15 academic year, including approximately 30,000 undergraduate students, 9,100 graduate students, 650 doctor of medicine students, and 2,000 non-degree seeking students. USF is one of the 40 most diverse universities in the nation, with students representing every state, U.S. territory, and more than 130 countries. International students represent approximately seven percent of the USF student population. As of the Fall 2014 semester, the student diversity profile of the university consisted of: 55 percent White, 12 percent African American, 21 percent Hispanic, 7 percent Asian/Pacific Islander, 0.16 percent American Indian, 4 percent two or more races, and 1 percent of students did not report.

The Fall 2014 Freshman class of approximately 3,000 students earned admission to the university with an average SAT score of 1191 (reading and math only), ACT score of 27, and high school GPA of 4.00. 51 percent of the members of the incoming class graduated in the top 20 percent of their high school class. Among the incoming class were 8 National Merit Scholars, 7 National Achievement Scholars, and 6 National Hispanic Scholars.
Rankings and colleges
University rankings
National
Washington Monthly  99
Global
ARWU 201-300
Times 251-275
U.S. News & World Report 2015 rankings
National Universities 161
Public Universities 88
Biological Sciences 139
Chemistry 148
Computer Science 101
Criminology 22
Education 83
Engineering 99
Fine Arts 72
Library and Information 24
Medical School: Primary Care 85
Medical School: Research 79
Psychology 78
Public Affairs 121
Social Work 89

Colleges at the USF Tampa campus include:
The Natural and Environmental Sciences building.

    College of Arts and Sciences
    College of Behavioral & Community Sciences
    Muma College of Business
    College of Education
    College of Engineering
    Patel College of Global Sustainability
    College of Graduate Studies
    Honors College
    College of Marine Science
    College of Medicine
    College of Nursing
    College of Pharmacy
    College of Public Health
    College of The Arts

Faculty

As of Fall 2014, there are more than 1,700 instructional faculty at the USF Tampa campus. As of Fall 2011, the student to faculty ratio for the USF Tampa campus was 24:1. Approximately 86 percent of full-time faculty members hold terminal degrees in their field of expertise. Additionally, the university has more than 1,200 adjunct professors, 300 post-doctoral scolars, over 2,000 graduate assistants, and 2,800 student assistants.

USF faculty continue to be recognized on the global academic stage with over 35 scholars receiving prominent scholarly awards since 2009, including Fulbright, National Science Foundation, AAAS, Guggenheim, and National Endowment for the Humanities fellowships. In 2012, a USF professor was one of four in the nation to receive the prestigious Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and Council for Advancement and Support of Education 2012 U.S. Professor of the Year award.
Graduation

The first USF Commencement ceremony was held in 1963 where 325 degrees were conferred. In the 2014–2015 academic year, the USF Tampa campus awarded more than 11,400 degrees at the undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral levels. Commencement ceremonies are held three times a year at the end of the Fall, Spring, and Summer semesters. Spring ceremonies are generally the largest, with five separate ceremonies held each semester.[ Ceremonies for the USF Tampa campus are held in the USF Sun Dome. Additionally, the university livestreams each ceremony for out-of-town guests to watch online.
Libraries
USF Tampa main library

The USF Tampa Library is the largest and most comprehensive library in the USF System. In addition to providing students access to more than 2 million academic journals, databases, and books, the six-story USF Tampa library offers tutoring and writing services, laptop and iPad checkouts, a career resource center, and reservable group study rooms. The USF Tampa Library also houses several Special and Digital Collections, including literature, oral histories, photographs, artifacts, and the university archives. In 2012, the USF Tampa Library opened the Science, Math and Research Technology (SMART) Lab, a hands-on learning space which includes more than 300 computer work stations. In 2013, USF students successfully protested to keep the library open 24 hours a day/5 days a week during the Fall and Spring semesters.

In addition to the Tampa library, the USF System has two regional libraries and two special libraries. The regional libraries include the Nelson Poynter Memorial Library, located on the USF St. Petersburg campus, and the Jane Bancroft Cook Library, located on the USF Sarasota-Manatee campus. The special libraries include the Shimberg Health Sciences Library, which serves USF Health, and the Louis de la Parte Florida Mental Health Institute Library, which serves USF's College of Behavioral and Community Sciences. Both special libraries are located on the USF Tampa campus.
Research

USF is one of the fastest growing research universities in the nation, according to The Chronicle of Higher Education. In the 2010-2011 fiscal year, the university was awarded more than $400 million in research awards. The Intellectual Property Owners Association ranked USF among the top ten universities in the world granted U.S. utility patents in 2011.
Center for Advanced Medical Learning and Simulation in Tampa.
USF Health

USF Health consists of the Morsani College of Medicine, College of Nursing, College of Pharmacy, College of Public Health, the School of Biomedical Sciences, the School of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Sciences, and the USF Physician's Group. USF Health researchers are breaking ground in the fields of diabetes, Alzheimer's disease, prosthetics, heart health, genomics, and more. In 2012, the College of Nursing ranked first in Florida for universities receiving research funding from the National Institutes of Health.

More than 400 healthcare professionals at USF Health treat patients throughout the state of Florida. In 2012, the university opened the Center for Advanced Medical Learning and Simulation (CAMLS) in downtown Tampa. The 90,000 square foot facility serves as an education and training center for health professionals around the world.
Sustainability

USF is one of a small number of universities nationwide given a gold rating by the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education for building an environmentally-conscious campus. In 2010, the USF School of Global Sustainability was created. In 2012, the new Patel College of Global Sustainability, consisting of the Dr. Kiran C. Patel Center for Global Solutions, the Master of the Arts in Global Sustainability program, and the Office of Sustainability, was introduced. Housed in the first Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design GOLD certified building on the USF Tampa campus, the college is a holistic academic unit that integrates sustainability research, scholarship, and teaching.

USF signed the American College and University President's Climate Commitment (ACUPCC) in 2008 and submitted its Climate Action Plan in 2010 with a goal of a 10 percent reduction in carbon emissions by 2015. Since then, the university has introduced several sustainability initiatives, including electric vehicle charging stations, water bottle filling stations, reusable plastic food containers in dining halls, recycling programs in residence halls, a biodiesel-fueled fare-free campus bus service, solar-powered golf carts, and more. In 2011, the university introduced the Student Green Energy Fund, which allows students to propose and vote on projects that aim to reduce campus energy consumption, lower green house gas emissions, and promote sustainable technologies.
Engineering buildings at USF.
Center for Urban Transportation Research

Founded in 1988, The Center for Urban Transportation Research (CUTR) conducts over $13 million in research annually for a variety of public and private sector sponsors in Florida and the United States, including the Florida Legislature, the Florida Transportation Commission, and state and local governments, agencies, and organizations. Areas of research include public transportation, transportation planning, intelligent transportation systems (ITS), transportation demand management (TDM), transportation economics and finance, geographic information systems, access management, alternative fuels, and transportation safety, among others.

Located next to the College of Engineering on the Tampa Campus, CUTR houses the National Center for Transit Research (NCTR), designated by the U.S. Congress in 1991, and reaffirmed in 1998, 2002, 2012 and 2013. The NCTR was selected as a Tier I University Transportation Center in 2012 in partnership with North Dakota State University, Florida International University, and the University of Illinois-Chicago and in 2013 in partnership with Florida International University, University of Illinois-Chicago, and the Texas A&M Transportation Institute. CUTR also houses the National Bus Rapid Transit Institute, sponsored by the Federal Transit Administration. Through NCTR and NBRTI, CUTR conducts research projects in rapidly growing urban areas to develop innovative, pragmatic approaches that will enable public transportation to better meet the evolving needs of U.S. citizens.

In November 2013, CUTR launched the Automated Vehicle Institute @ CUTR, a multidisciplinary policy and planning program helping communities prepare for and implement automated vehicle technology.
Campus life

The USF Tampa campus provides multiple services and resources necessary for students to succeed both in the classroom and in their personal lives. Under the Division of Student Affairs, USF students have access to involvement opportunities, on-campus housing, dining facilities, recreational outlets, health and wellness services, and more.
USF Marshall Student Center.
Student union

The original USF student union was built in 1959 and opened in 1960. Originally called the University Center, it was one of the first five buildings that made up the USF Tampa campus when it opened. In its early years, the University Center held the first on-campus women's residence hall, a cafeteria, post office, bookstore, game room, television room, and information desk. Classes were held in the basement and first floor of the building until other academic building were completed. The center underwent major renovations from 1988 to 1990. It was renamed the Phyllis P. Marshall Center in 1993, in honor of the woman who served as director of the building from 1976 to 1994.
Marshall Student Center

In order to better serve the growing student population on the Tampa campus, the building was torn down and replaced with a new 230,000 square foot union in 2008. The new facility, now called the Marshall Student Center, still pays homage to its former director. The four-story building features a 1,200 seat ballroom, 700 seat auditorium, 100 workstation computer lab, study and meeting spaces, several student lounge areas, and outdoor courtyards. The facility offers several retail outlets including a pharmacy, computer store, credit union, and identification card center. The building features nine dining options, including the first-ever Beef O'Brady's on a college campus.

As the home of the USF Center for Leadership and Civic Engagement, Student Government, the Center for Student Involvement, the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life, and the Office of Multicultural Affairs, the center is considered to be the gathering place for all things student life at USF.

The Centre Gallery is a student-run art gallery located on the second floor of the Marshall Student Center with a focus on innovative, contemporary art work. The gallery is open to the general public.
Juniper-Poplar Hall.
Housing

There are 34 residence halls on the USF Tampa campus, offering traditional, suite, and apartment style housing. In total, these residential halls provide housing to more than 5,600 students. The university also offers specialized housing options such as family housing, female-only housing, graduate student housing, and Greek Village. Each bedroom on the USF Tampa campus is furnished with a twin extra-long bed, dresser, desk and chair, trash can, and closet space for every resident. Each residence hall has at least one resident assistant.

In 2009, the university implemented a new policy requiring all first-year, full-time undergraduate students to live on campus. The goal of the policy is to provide new students with a comprehensive educational experience. Students exempt from this new rule include those who remain living with their parents and/or legal guardians within Hillsborough, Pasco, and Pinellas counties, are above the age of 21 by the first day of fall classes, have a dependent child or family member, or are married.

The university offers 12 Living Learning Communities (LLCs) in various residence halls throughout the Tampa campus. The residential communities place special interest on academic majors or areas of interest, such as business, education, and sustainability. Residents are required to submit an application and meet certain eligibility criteria to be admitted into an LLC.

In addition to on-campus housing, USF has formal relationships with four off-campus properties. Though the university has no ownership or management role in these entities, it recommends these alternative options on the basis of proximity to the USF Tampa campus and amount of USF students residing there. These properties include Campus Club, The Province, 40 Fifty Lofts, and Avalon Hei