{"id":124186,"date":"2026-01-19T21:57:08","date_gmt":"2026-01-19T21:57:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/124186\/"},"modified":"2026-01-19T21:57:08","modified_gmt":"2026-01-19T21:57:08","slug":"dr-rhea-laws-lifetime-bet-on-the-university-of-south-florida","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/124186\/","title":{"rendered":"Dr. Rhea Law\u2019s lifetime bet on the University of South Florida"},"content":{"rendered":"

When Dr. Rhea Law<\/a> looks at the University of South Florida, she does not see a chapter.<\/p>\n

She sees a lifetime.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been part of the University of South Florida for decades,\u201d Law said. \u201cIf you look at the amount of time that I\u2019ve either worked there, volunteered there or been on boards there, I\u2019ve got over 40 years involved with USF.\u201d<\/p>\n

That perspective shapes how she measures success. Not by singular milestones or moments of recognition, but by responsibility carried over time and the consequences that follow growth.<\/p>\n

Law<\/a> became USF\u2019s eighth president in March 2022 after serving as interim beginning in August 2021. <\/p>\n

She is also the first university graduate to lead it, a distinction that underscores both continuity and accountability.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was there when the very first president, John Allen, was there,\u201d she said. \u201cI worked with every president the university has ever had.\u201d<\/p>\n

What she describes now is not triumph so much as stewardship.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am grateful for having had the experience to start at such an early point with the university and see the incredible growth and achievements it has made in such a short period of time,\u201d Law<\/a> said.<\/p>\n

From a small campus to 50,000 students<\/p>\n

When Law began working at USF in 1968, the institution was still defining its role.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy first job was enrolling all the grants and contracts for the university,\u201d she said. \u201cWhen I left in 1977 to go to law school, we had just reached $10 million. I remember thinking if we could ever get to $100 million that would be the most amazing thing.\u201d<\/p>\n

In 2025, USF surpassed $750 million in research funding.<\/p>\n

The scale of that growth reflects more than expansion. It reflects a shift in institutional ambition.<\/p>\n

Once envisioned as a commuter school serving the surrounding region, USF now enrolls more than 50,000 students and operates as a multi-billion-dollar public university with national research standing.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am really gratified to say that we\u2019ve got 50,000 students being given opportunities to succeed in their lives,\u201d Law said. \u201cThat has been one of the most fulfilling things I\u2019ve ever done.\u201d<\/p>\n

Growth, she said, also brings weight.<\/p>\n

Recognition that took decades<\/p>\n

For Law, the most difficult institutional challenge was not facilities or funding. It was perception.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe hardest thing to move institutionally was getting recognition not only inside the university but outside of how good we really are,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

That effort culminated in 2023 when USF was invited to join the Association of American Universities, placing it among the top research institutions in the United States and Canada.<\/p>\n

Institutions cannot apply for AAU membership.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey do their own research,\u201d Law said. \u201cIf you meet their metrics, they invite you.\u201d<\/p>\n

READ: TAMPA BAY BUSINESS NEWS<\/a><\/p>\n

The goal was set years earlier while Law served as chair of the Board of Trustees.<\/p>\n

\u201cI asked what the pinnacle of academic excellence is,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd the answer was AAU. So we asked about the metrics. Who is responsible? Where does the funding come from? What milestones do we need to meet?\u201d<\/p>\n

USF followed that blueprint for more than a decade.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I came back as interim president, I went to see our statistician on day one or two,\u201d she said. \u201cI asked where we were. And he said we\u2019re there. I said show me.\u201d<\/p>\n

The invitation arrived two years later.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat tells you sometimes it takes a long time to achieve your goals,\u201d Law said. \u201cBut we did something that thousands of institutions have not been able to do yet.\u201d<\/p>\n

AAU membership, Law acknowledged, is not a finish line. <\/p>\n

It raises expectations around research output, faculty recruitment and sustained funding that must now be met every year, not just once.<\/p>\n

Academics first, athletics later<\/p>\n

Law attributes USF\u2019s rise to a deliberate prioritization.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur focus was on academic excellence and research excellence,\u201d she said. \u201cThat meant taking care of our students and taking care of our faculty.\u201d<\/p>\n

Athletics came later.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe spent more time on academics than athletics,\u201d she said. \u201cNow we\u2019re catching up.\u201d<\/p>\n

That shift includes construction of an on-campus football stadium and the rapid creation of the College of Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity and Computing, the first of its kind in Florida and among the first nationally.<\/p>\n

RELATED: USF reveals new renderings of Football Operations Center<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cWe opened it in less than a year from conception to launch,\u201d Law said. \u201cWe don\u2019t let the grass grow under our feet.\u201d<\/p>\n

Speed, she said, is cultural.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a mindset,\u201d she said. \u201cWe will not be hampered by the way things were done in the past.\u201d<\/p>\n

That approach also carries risk. <\/p>\n

In a public university, moving quickly can collide with procurement rules, governance structures and political scrutiny. <\/p>\n

Law describes those moments as learning opportunities that require reassessment rather than retreat.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you go down the wrong path, you own it and you fix it,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Running a university like a complex business<\/p>\n

Law draws a direct line between her legal career and her academic leadership.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery bit of my law background helped me,\u201d she said. \u201cRunning a law firm was very helpful in running a university.\u201d<\/p>\n

As former CEO and chair of Fowler White Boggs, she led professionals accustomed to clarity, speed and accountability.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re dealing with people who are extremely smart and brilliant in their fields,\u201d she said. \u201cThey want issues resolved quickly. Once you respect that and align around a shared vision, there\u2019s nothing you cannot do.\u201d<\/p>\n

READ: USF NEWS<\/a><\/p>\n

USF\u2019s scale, however, adds complexity beyond any private enterprise. <\/p>\n

State funding cycles, national competition for faculty and rising student expectations all shape the institution\u2019s operating reality.<\/p>\n

Law sees her role less as a sole driver than as an integrator.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis transformation didn\u2019t happen because of one person,\u201d she said. \u201cIt happened because people stayed focused on a shared vision over a long period of time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Opening the front door<\/p>\n

When Law arrived, business and civic leaders often expressed the same concern. They wanted to work with USF but did not know how.<\/p>\n

The university felt too large, too decentralized and too difficult to navigate.<\/p>\n

Her response was structural. Law created the Office of University Community Partnerships as a single point of entry for external engagement.<\/p>\n

READ: ST. PETERSBURG BUSINESS NEWS<\/a><\/p>\n

Whether the goal was research collaboration, internships, scholarships or philanthropy, the objective was speed and clarity.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf it meets the needs of our students, we\u2019re going to move quickly and get it done,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

The result, Law said, was deeper trust and more sustained partnerships across the region.<\/p>\n

Leadership without labels<\/p>\n

Law said she rarely thought about gender while building her career.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I became president, I was the only woman running a large law firm in Florida,\u201d she said. \u201cYou don\u2019t think about that. You think about the job.\u201d<\/p>\n

Perspective came later.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was the first in my family to go to college,\u201d she said. \u201cMy parents didn\u2019t understand why it mattered.\u201d<\/p>\n

Education changed her trajectory.<\/p>\n

READ: TAMPA BAY REAL ESTATE NEWS<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cIf I hadn\u2019t had the education I got at USF and the encouragement of faculty and staff, I wouldn\u2019t be here,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

One mentor stands out.<\/p>\n

\u201cDr. Bill Taft,\u201d Law said. \u201cHe encouraged me every day.\u201d<\/p>\n

She recalls freezing before a speech until he stopped her.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe said, \u2018You know this subject. Just talk about it,\u2019\u201d Law said.<\/p>\n

The lesson stuck.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s how I try to lead,\u201d she said. \u201cEncouraging people and helping them believe they belong at the table.\u201d<\/p>\n

A legacy still unfolding<\/p>\n

When asked how she hopes to be remembered, Law does not cite rankings or buildings.<\/p>\n

\u201cI hope they remember me as someone who encouraged them every day,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Her career required risk. She left a job she loved and cashed out her retirement to attend law school, uncertain of the outcome.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was scary,\u201d she said. \u201cBut opposition gave me fuel.\u201d<\/p>\n

USF\u2019s transformation followed a similar arc. Progress came through sustained belief, long timelines and acceptance that growth carries responsibility as well as opportunity.<\/p>\n

As Law prepares to step away, USF<\/a> enters a more demanding phase of its evolution, one where confidence must now be matched by consistency, scale and execution.<\/p>\n

Law has been present for nearly all of the institution\u2019s modern history. What comes next will test how durable that legacy truly is.<\/p>\n

Stay Informed<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"When Dr. Rhea Law looks at the University of South Florida, she does not see a chapter. She…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":124187,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[49603,4403,4364,178,113,276,7269,39052,24426,135,1526,1703,52537,137,27267,136,43566,3650,1537,61651],"class_list":["post-124186","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tampa","tag-c-suite","tag-college","tag-community-impact","tag-economic-growth","tag-education","tag-hillsborough-county","tag-leadership","tag-profiles","tag-rhea-law","tag-tampa","tag-tampa-bay","tag-tampa-bay-business","tag-tampa-bay-business-news-and-top-stories","tag-tampa-headlines","tag-tampa-leadership","tag-tampa-news","tag-thought-leadership","tag-university-of-south-florida","tag-usf","tag-women-who-win"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/124186","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=124186"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/124186\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/124187"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=124186"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=124186"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=124186"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}