By later this afternoon, we should know who the next President of the University of South Florida will be.
The four finalists sit down Friday for one last interview with the USF Board of Trustees in Tampa. After that, the board is expected to vote on who will succeed Judy Genshaft.
The candidates already took part in interviews Wednesday with the Presidential Search Committee and Thursday on the three USF campuses.
First up on Friday was former Rutgers – New Brunswick Chancellor Debasish “Deba” Dutta, who opened his interview by saying the next USF President and the direction they put the university on before its 75th anniversary of 2031 will set it on its path for the next 50 years.
He described his leadership style as “leaders know the way, show the way and get to go the way,” and said much of his team at Rutgers came from within. However, he only briefly spoke about why he stepped down as Chancellor there after just over one year before going more in depth later in his interview.
Dutta also shared some interesting thoughts on athletics, saying that student-athletes are "at least double majors" due to their time commitments and should get the kind of education that gives them the opportunities to find jobs when their athletic career ends. He pointed to Brian Lamb, a former USF basketball captain who is now a businessman and chair of the Board of Trustees, as an example of a student-athlete who was prepared for a career outside sports.
On diversity, Dutta cited his experience as Purdue University’s Chief Diversity Officer: "Access and success are two sides of the same coin." And he suggested USF try to recruit a Nobel Prize winner, saying having even one on faculty can increase the recognition of a university.
The board next heard from Jeff Vitter, who stepped down as Chancellor at the University of Mississippi, who called the USF Presidency "a dream job." He shared a story of how he and wife were touring campus earlier this week and ran into students who were planning a birthday party for the Bulls mascot, Rocky.
Like he did on Wednesday, Vitter's introduction was very similar to the one he shared with the Presidential Search Committee Wednesday, speaking at length about the circumstances of his departure at Ole Miss. He said he ran into many people at the university who were too entrenched in “old ways” or wanted to do things he wasn’t comfortable with, like hitting back at the NCAA, which investigated the Ole Miss athletic program for six years.
When it comes to the consolidation and re-accreditation of USF’s three campuses, Vitter cited his experience at the University of Kansas, saying the creation of that school’s first-ever university-wide undergraduate curriculum shows he can help bring people and academic programs together.
He also said his work with the University of Mississippi’s board and state lawmakers helped get a bill passed that allowed Ole Miss to partner with area hospitals.
Vitter once again called college athletics the “front porch” of a school that can help draw people in and maintain connections with alumni. In a somewhat surprising moment, he responded to student trustee Moneer Kheireddine’s question about his experience with esports by pointing to Ole Miss’ success with the developing field, saying it's another way to appeal to and attract talented students to a university.
On the subject of diversity, Vitter, who has bachelors in mathematics, changed up his approach from Wednesday, when he used a math formula that had the search committee and virtually everyone in the room trying to remember high school algebra. Today, he had wife, Sharon, hand him a tissue box he admitted taking from their hotel room to demonstrate how cutting people out of college because of wealth removes many from the "contributing group."
Vitter also said that budget cuts at the University of Kansas showed him that "you have to be nimble” when it comes to financial issues at a university, saying he helped identify areas to protect and make stronger, and looked for opportunities to connect with the local and international community to bring in funds.
The Trustees will vote on the new president at a board meeting at the conclusion of the interviews. That meeting will be available via Webcast.
There are still a few more steps left in the process. Background checks need to be completed on the candidates, contract negotiations need to take place and the Florida Board of Governors will have to approve the selection next week when they meet in Tallahassee.
Genshaft will step down effective July 1, ending a nineteen-year tenure at USF.
This is a developing story and will be updated throughout the day. Also, hear updates on All Things Considered on WUSF 89.7 this afternoon, starting at 4 p.m.
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