Leadership

It’s our university’s “report card”: The reaffirmation of our accreditation, which is confirmed by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) and renewed every 10 years.

SACSCOC representatives will be visiting the main campus, two branch campuses, and the instructional site of Morsani College of Medicine/USF Health this week. You may have noticed a SACSCOC welcome message on the hallway monitors on Monday. A subcommittee of the SACSCOC group spent time on our campus in a rapid immersion visit. This included discussions with the senior leadership cabinet, representatives from various colleges, and additional staff as well as a tour of our two campus buildings and another meeting with faculty and students.

The purpose of this onsite visit was to gather insights and feedback to ensure that the university continues to meet the high standards necessary to maintain accreditation. There are many components of this extensive, nearly two-year process to assure reaffirmation of our accreditation by SACSCOC.

During our meeting yesterday with the representatives of this group, we shared key facts about our branch campus — from what differentiates us to highlights of our PAInT program … and from examples of interdisciplinary studies, teaching, and research to some of our most impressive stats (including our 99.26% retention rate that I have recently mentioned).

We also discussed USF’s Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) and how Experiential Centered Learning (ExCeL) has provided even greater opportunities for students to explore internships, cooperative education, student employment, and undergraduate research. These experiences help to further strategic goals in the area of Student Learning Outcomes and Student Success Outcomes as students deepen their skills, add to their experience, and more closely align their academic studies with their field of interest. Ultimately, this focus fosters career readiness and promotes students’ desirability as candidates for employment upon graduation or application to graduate school.

The SACSCOC visit to the Sarasota-Manatee branch campus was a success. We all can take pride in knowing that we set and uphold an exceptional standard — and we were thrilled to be able to share good news about our campus achievements with colleagues from other institutions. The SACSCOC review process at the University of South Florida continues through Thursday. It was our privilege on the Sarasota-Manatee branch campus to kick off the site-visit process for the 2025 reaffirmation of our institution’s accreditation.

—    Brett E. Kemker, PhD 

It was great seeing so many people last week at the first Town Hall of 2025. For anyone unable to join that day, I want to share some great numbers for our campus with you all. 

From fall 2024 to spring 2025, our retention rate is 99.26%. This is not only unprecedented on our campus, but the highest I’ve ever witnessed at any institution. Our transfer progression for spring is 95.6%, also an impressive number.   
 
Our graduate studies numbers have outperformed the previous year–growing from 223 in spring 2024 to 349 active USF Sarasota-Manatee graduate students in spring 2025. 
 
These results are a testament to the combined excellent support of all our faculty and staff. In particular, I do want to single out the efforts of Jennifer VanDeWoestyne and her team of advisors.  
 
This Thursday, we will host our “First Thursday” happy hour on the terrace at the Student Center. Please join us from 4:30 until 5:30 p.m. Our weather has turned warmer, fortunately, and should be very spring-like on the Sarasota-Manatee campus. #GoBulls!

—    Brett E. Kemker, PhD 

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