TAMPA — University of South Florida president Judy Genshaft flashed back to a moment at the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympics on Wednesday to describe the position in which the university finds itself nearly three months into a new fiscal year.
Just before Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt took off in the 100-meter dash, his shoelace came untied. He kept running and won the gold medal.
"We are running very, very fast," Genshaft told the faculty and staff gathered for the president's fall 2008 address. "We are determined and we are passionate. My hope is that we can give each of you the shoes to run quickly, even if sometimes your shoelaces come untied."
The upbeat speech included a litany of USF's high points over the past year, including its recent ranking by U.S. News and World Report as one of 20 up-and-coming universities in the nation.
Genshaft congratulated the faculty for securing more than $360-million in research dollars and for contributing a record $3.75-million in gifts to the university. She predicted that USF's three signature programs — initiatives in integrated neuroscience, diabetes research and sustainable communities — will be key in its ongoing quest for membership in the elite Association of American Universities.
She also announced that USF will begin immediately to raise money for a diabetes center and hospital that will provide top-notch health care for the Tampa Bay area and beyond.
"We intend to show the power of science-based health care and how it can help the region and the state and the world," Genshaft said, likening the new center to the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute.
But she made it clear that a $35.6-million loss in state funding compounded by an additional 4 percent cut in spending will be challenging.
"We know the state's revenues are continuing to fall," she said, explaining state support already has dropped from 23 percent of the budget to 17 percent.
Despite the funding loss and a freeze on freshman enrollment on the Tampa campus, Genshaft said, USF was able to welcome the most prepared freshman class in its history. She noted that the average SAT score of the 472 incoming honors college students was 1,353, a 25 percentage point gain over last year.
She left the faculty and staff with a challenge.
"Talk to each other," she said. "Walk around, learn about the other people here. Most important, share your ideas for how USF is and will be even a better university of the future."
Donna Winchester can be reached at winchester@sptimes.com or (727) 893-8413.
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