January 10, 2025
Welcome to 2025! What a fantastic week it has been as we return to campus and prepare to welcome our returning students on Monday. The beginning of a calendar year is almost as invigorating as the traditional ‘back-to-school’ excitement in the fall that many of us in higher education have experienced all our lives. Our Student Center and Atala Residence Hall is ready, our faculty and staff are anticipating the start of this semester, and I’m delighted to be serving as the interim regional chancellor here on our beloved Sarasota-Manatee campus.
When I was appointed to take on this role a few months ago, I was also asked to continue serving our campus as the vice provost for academic affairs and student success—essentially the work I’ve been doing since joining USF in 2018. Organizationally, I’ll be supported by two outstanding staff members—Lisa Barker (in my capacity serving as the interim regional chancellor on the third floor) and Cary Trujillo (from my original first-floor location as vice provost and regional vice chancellor).
But what are some of the key things I will be looking toward over the course of the year? Certainly continuing our growth trajectory—including efforts to revolutionize the campus I began over the past six years. For instance, we now serve nearly one-third of all USF undergraduate students from our Sarasota-Manatee campus. We’ve attained a retention rate of over 90% for the last three years—that’s nearly unprecedented and can, in part, be attributed to our faculty and staff as well as to the concierge approach I introduced to USF in my early years. No matter who you are (faculty, staff, management, student), you simply cannot walk down the halls and not be greeted by someone saying “hello” or “good afternoon.” It has become part of our campus DNA to be welcoming and engaging. And like a favorite TV show from a few decades back (“Cheers”), we’re a place where everybody knows your name.
I am very enthusiastic about reengaging with the “community-at-large” in a way that is more meaningful and intimate—in a manner that can foster the development of mutually beneficial resources and additional opportunities for internships for our students. At the same time, these efforts will further develop the skills and talents our students need that will meet the requirements of organizations and businesses and subsequently lead to employment offers upon graduation.
I’ve long said a personal goal is to fortify and bolster our already-excellent programs on campus that deliver real value to our surrounding communities—i.e., the Health Sciences and Human Performance/Allied Health discipline. Our exceptional faculty and staff make a difference every day in imparting their knowledge and wisdom to students, catalyzing their growth and achievement in ways that can then be brought back to the community.
Fostering collegial relationships among all of our staff and faculty promotes connections that serve our students and each other exceptionally well. I especially enjoy extending my appreciation to our hard-working faculty and staff members through regular events such as “Coffee with Kemker” and our “First Thursdays” happy hour. Here’s to a great new year!
— Brett E. Kemker, PhD