The University of South Florida’s Board of Trustees has selected Moez Limayem to be USF’s ninth president. 

Limayem received unanimous support during a vote at the board’s Tuesday meeting, bringing him one step closer to securing the top job at the university. The Florida Board of Governors, which oversees the State University System, must also approve his appointment and are scheduled to consider Limayem’s confirmation on Nov. 6.

Limayem, 62, is no stranger to USF or the Board of Governors. He spent 10 years as the Lynn Pippenger Dean of USF’s Muma College of Business before he was appointed president of the University of North Florida in Jacksonville in 2022. 

After a nearly 8 month search for potential candidates to lead USF, Limayem was the sole recommendation for the job from the university’s search committee last month. He has since toured all three USF campuses and held community forums where he discussed his goals for the university, should his appointment be approved. 

USF’s nation-wide presidential search process began in February, after current USF President Rhea Law announced plans to step down once a successor was found. Law has served as USF’s president since August 2021.

USF’s Board of Trustees was effusive in its praise of Limayem’s vision for USF’s future under his leadership, which emphasized his deep ties to the Tampa Bay region and proven track record of student success and engagement, research excellence, fundraising, and fostering corporate and community partnerships. 

“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,” USF Board of Trustees Chair Will Weatherford says in a statement from the university. 

“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.”

In the roughly three years Limayem has served as president of UNF, the university has seen a dramatic increase in both retention and enrollment. This year saw UNF welcome the largest incoming class in its history, leading to its highest overall enrollment since it was founded in 1972, according to the USF statement. The university also recently celebrated an institutional record for its first-year student retention rate and is currently ranked first in the state for the highest percentage of bachelor’s graduates employed in Florida.

“I am honored and humbled to be unanimously selected by the USF Board of Trustees,” Limayem said in a statement from the university. “Serving as USF president would be the greatest honor of my professional life. 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.”

Born in Tunisia, Limayem came to the U.S. when he received a scholarship to attend the University of Minnesota, where he earned his MBA and doctorate. Since then, his entire professional life has been spent working in academia.

The selection process for a university president is required to follow state law and BOG regulations. In addition to requirements for developing a position profile and marketing the job, the university was also required to hold numerous meetings to gather stakeholder input from members of the USF community.