Photo courtesy of UNF
By Jasmin Parrado & Alisha Durosier
Nine months after USF President Rhea Law announced her resignation, USF named University of North Florida president Moez Limayem as a sole finalist in its ninth presidential search.
On Oct. 13, Limayem formally introduced himself with a public forum at all three of the university’s campuses.
At the USF St. Petersburg forum — the last campus he visited — Limayem expressed excitement about the university’s consideration.
“Please remember where I started,” Limayem said. “This is a kid who grew up without electricity in Africa. For me to be considered for the biggest honor of my life? I’m speechless.”
Adam Freeman, vice president of communications and marketing at USF, led the conversation with Limayem, in which Limayem discussed his determination to further consolidate all three of USF’s campuses and nurture research efforts through strong business and faculty partnerships.
“If we’re going to sit and expect business as usual in terms of research and funding from federal and state, that is not going to happen,” Limayem said during the forum. “And I think that is absolutely the recipe for disaster.”
This sentiment calls back to his previous experience in higher education.
Before becoming UNF’s president in 2022, Limayem led a 10-year tenure as the Lynn Pippenger Dean of the Muma College of Business at USF Tampa. Prior to that, he was the associate dean of research and graduate programs at the University of Arkansas Sam M. Walton College of Business from 2010 to 2012.
Limayem also emphasized how he values athletics, citing past research on how it plays a role in students’ lives.
“Let me tell you, anyone who has any doubt of the impact of athletics on engaging students, private students, faculty, staff, alums, donors – all they have to do is see the excitement when we beat the Gators,” Limayem said.
Additionally, Limayem said he looked forward to working with Rob Higgins, who recently was announced as USF’s first-ever CEO of Athletics Sept. 9.
“I honestly don’t think we would have found a better person who understands professional sports at a high level, who understands revenue generation, who understands sponsorship,” Limayem stated.
Limayem also addressed recent free speech tensions that arose after right-wing political activist Charlie Kirk was shot and killed at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10. He stated that the university should “remain a marketplace of ideas of different backgrounds” but that responsible civil discourse should also be exercised.
“There are a few things always in my leadership, I think, that are nonnegotiable – this one is absolutely nonnegotiable,” Limayem said. “When we see people being killed for what they think or what they say, where are we as a society? Where are we as a democracy?”
Limayem expressed that, during his UNF presidency, he has developed good relationships with the Florida Board of Governors (BOG) and learned substantially more about ways to manage and protect Florida’s ecosystem, navigate the current sociopolitical climate and interpret university metrics.
USF announced the presidential search committee’s recommendation of Limayem to the Board of Trustees (BOT) in September, describing him as “an accomplished, energetic and passionate higher education leader with deep ties to USF and the Tampa Bay region.”
Since USF’s second President Cecil Mackey’s appointment in 1971, Limayem is the first sole finalist to be recommended for the university’s top role.
According to associate professor of higher education and policy at USF St. Petersburg and former member of USF’s BOT, Deanna Michael, whom The Crow’s Nest spoke to in February, Limayem fits what the university would be looking for this time around.
“We need a leader who the academic community can respect, the [local] community can respect and our political leaders in the Pinellas area and Sarasota and Hillsborough can respect,” Michael told The Crow’s Nest in February, noting that a good candidate could come from a research role or even another presidency.
USF has not given a timeline as to when the BOT will select a university president. The board’s selection will be subject to the BOG’s confirmation.
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Written by: Alisha Durosier on October 20, 2025.
