Special ceremony at USF will formally welcome President Steve Currall

TAMPA — The University of South Florida is holding a special academic ceremony Thursday to celebrate and formally welcome the school’s new president Steve Currall.

Currall took the job July 1 and has since wrangled a plan for the pending consolidation of USF’s three campuses. He will share more of his vision for the university during the event at 2 p.m. in Yuengling Center, where “an array of global leaders” he selected will also speak.

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The ceremony, called an investiture, is a special and historic academic tradition that happens infrequently. It features a processional of educators from USF and elsewhere, along with former USF presidents. The theme of the event is: “USF: Where Excellence and Opportunity Converge.”

“This historic event is also a moment for the university to heighten its visibility across the broader higher education community," USF said in a news release, which also called the event a chance to "come together to celebrate the next steps in the life of the institution.”

Currall will be presented with the symbolic presidential chain of office, then at 4 p.m. join attendees for a campus-wide reception at the Muma College of Business atrium.

Stay with tampabay.com for updates on the event.