TAMPA — The University of South Florida Board of Trustees unanimously voted Oct. 21 to select Moez Limayem as the university’s ninth president.
Limayem currently serves as president of the University of North Florida and was the Lynn Pippenger Dean of the Muma College of Business at USF for 10 years.
His appointment is subject to confirmation by the Florida Board of Governors, which oversees the State University System.
“Dr. Limayem brings a palpable energy and enthusiasm to every room he enters, and he is fully aligned on our vision for USF Athletics and the transformational impact of our new on-campus stadium,” said USF Board of Trustees Chair Will Weatherford. “Under his leadership, we are poised to build on our momentum as a member of the prestigious Association of American Universities and further capitalize on our location in one of the most vibrant and fastest-growing regions in the country.”
During his time at UNF, Limayem has been recognized by Florida Trend as one of the state’s 500 most influential business leaders, by the Jacksonville Business Journal as an Ultimate CEO and he received an award from the National Academy of Inventors for his many contributions to innovation and invention.
While dean at USF, Limayem and his team raised more than $126 million in private donations for the college, including a $25 million gift from Pam and Les Muma in 2014, which at the time was the largest individual gift in the university’s history. He also led key efforts to enhance career preparation and placement, internships and talent development of students. In addition, Limayem was named among the Power 100: Tampa Bay’s Most Influential Business Leaders of 2022 by the Tampa Bay Business Journal. In November, he is slated to be inducted into the First Coast Business Hall of Fame.
“I am honored and humbled to be unanimously selected by the USF Board of Trustees. Serving as USF president would be the greatest honor of my professional life,” Limayem said. “My family and I love USF and the Tampa Bay region, and I am thrilled by the prospect of returning home. As I was reminded during my visit to each USF campus last week, it is truly a special community.”
His wife Alya, a UNF faculty member of biology, is a renowned researcher who holds multiple U.S. patents, was named a Senior Member of the National Academy of Inventors last year and was recognized as a 2024 Rising Star of the Academy of Science, Engineering and Medicine of Florida. The couple has two children.