Page 2 - Florida Sentinel 9-14-18

Feature
President Genshaft Says Decision To Retire Was ‘Very, Very, Very Difficult’
BY KENYA WOODARD Sentinel Feature Writer
Calling it a “very, very, very, difficult decision,” Uni- versity of South Florida Pres- ident Judy Genshaft announced her retirement earlier this week after nearly 20 years in the position.
At a press conference Monday, President Gen- shaft said she won’t step down until next June, but thought it best to announce her departure now.
Genshaft said she and her husband, Steven, began discussing her retirement in May. The decision to move
forward was not easy as the university “is part of our fam- ily,” she said.
But “it’s the right deci- sion,” she said. “It’s the right time.”
In a separate interview, Pres. Genshaft said she is proud of the growth of diver- sity among the university’s student population. In recent years, the university has won recognition for closing the graduation gap among its Black and white students and boosting the rate of Latino students.
And after years of com- plaints from minority-owned businesses about lack of ac-
PRESIDENT JUDY GENSHAFT
cess to the university’s sup- plier diversity program, USF also has been making strides in hiring more minority com- panies, beginning last year with the hire of Terrie Daniel, USF’s Assistant Vice President of Supplier Diver- sity, she said.
Pres. Genshaft as-
sumed the presidency in July 2000, following interim president Richard Peck. Over the years, the univer- sity’s enrollment has grown by 40 percent, while its four- year graduation rate has tripled, according to the uni- versity.
On Monday, Pres. Gen- shaft touted USF’s most re- cent achievements including its being named by the Florida Board of Governors as a “preeminent state re- search university” and land- ing a chapter of the prestigious Phi Beta Kappa honors society.
Additionally, the univer- sity completed its USF: Un- stoppable $1 billion fundraising campaign.
All of these things and more point to a university that is “on a trajectory that is absolutely unprecedented,” Genshaft said.
As the university enters a “new era,” “the time is right for me to step down,” she said.
The end of Genshaft’s tenure will cap a career in higher education of more than 40 years. But she plans to remain in Tampa and be active in the community.
Regarding her successor, Pres. Genshaft said talks between her leadership team and the university’s Board of Trustees have begun and that she trusts the process will be “transparent and inclusive.”
“Stay tuned,” she said. “We’ll have many opportuni- ties to talk about next steps.”
In the meantime, Pres. Genshaft said she is fo- cused on carrying out a new set of goals recently given to her by the board.
“I’m going to be very busy,” she said.
CLEWS To Host 2nd Annual Leadership Conference
Community and Law En- forcement Workshops and Services (CLEWS) Program will host its 2nd Annual Lead- ership Conference. The event will be held on Wednesday, September 26, 2018, 1 p. m. – 4 p. m., at the Children’s Board of Hillsborough County, 1002 E. Palm Ave. (Tampa 33605).
The event is free and open to the public, how-
FRED HEARNS
ever, participants should RSVP by email to me@vi- olaluke.com by Sept. 20, 2018.
The CLEWS theme is, “Working Together Towards Greater Intercultural Under- standing.”
Participants will join the CLEWS team for a light lunch and power point presentation
to review the results of youth workshops held in 2018 at 7 Hillsborough County middle schools.
Some 290 public school students commented about community-law enforcement relations and school safety. Those in attendance can also hear how 75 Hillsborough County Sheriff Office deputies interacted with the students.
CLEWS is sponsored by the Hillsborough County Board of County Commis- sioners, Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, Hillsborough County School District, Cor- poration to Develop Commu- nities of Tampa, Inc. and United Way Suncoast.
Fred Hearns is the CLEWS Program Manager, and Viola Luke is the Assis- tant Program Manager.
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