AT THE UNIVERSITY of South Florida (USF), arts scholars can often find themselves taking a class in science, medical students may touch on market management and nearly all students experience at least one term abroad. That’s because, according to the USF way of thinking, well-rounded, successful students require not just an academic experience, but also the chance to engage with the wider world. “We want to cultivate highly educated and skilled graduates,” says


Professor Ralph C Wilcox, Provost and Executive Vice President of the university. “Talented graduates who can lead teams, solve problems and communicate successfully in the real world of the 21st century.” USF does this, in part, by supporting cross-subject collaborations.


Rather than finding themselves tucked away in their own faculties, students collaborate across disciplines. For instance, English literature students are encouraged to take part in programmes outside their field, particularly in the sciences. “This positions them nicely to complete a master’s or a doctoral degree that helps them to stand out in the market place,” says Dr Wilcox. Likewise, a graduate studying to be a doctor might take classes in business, finance, marketing, management or engineering.


WELCOMING ENVIRONMENT “We want everyone—scholars and scientists, students and staff—to bring different perspectives and experiences to the university,” says Dr Wilcox. “This not only helps us all to improve academically, but also helps create a learning environment that is relevant, warm and welcoming.” Beginning with around 2,000 students and five buildings in 1956,


the USF System has grown to serve more than 48,000 students with three institutions in Tampa, St Petersburg and Sarasota-Manatee. It offers more than 230 degrees at bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral level, has one of the


lowest tuition rates in the USA, and is among the country’s fastest growing and most innovative research universities, with annual research spending in excess of £285 million. The university’s academic programmes are wide ranging, covering arts and sciences, business, education, engineering, medicine, public health and global sustainability.


BEYOND THE CAMPUS USF’s approach also entails looking beyond the campus to the wider world. “We’re committed to providing students with the opportunity to explore further afield and develop skills that will serve them well beyond their time at USF,” says Dr Wilcox. Students are encouraged to enrol in internships and residencies, along with spending a term, a semester or even a year overseas. During the 2013/14 academic year, more than 1,350 USF students studied in locations as wide ranging as France, Italy, Germany, the UK, China and India. These links are more than a way of enabling cultural exchange. Dr Wilcox


sees relationships with other leading establishments as key to USF’s future. “For a university to be a leader in the 21st century, it has to conduct operations in ways that are different to the past,” he says. “We don’t want to be an institution that merely sets up shop abroad, but one that actively collaborates with partners.” To this end USF has established several strategic initiatives, including the Global Sustainability Programme, in places such as Brazil, the Caribbean, West Africa, China and India as part of an effort to empower students to solve real-world problems. By encouraging its students to collaborate with each other across


disciplinary lines, and to travel and study abroad, USF seeks to prepare its students both to engage with the wider world, and to find innovative solutions to its problems.


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84  |  Page 85  |  Page 86  |  Page 87  |  Page 88  |  Page 89  |  Page 90  |  Page 91  |  Page 92  |  Page 93  |  Page 94  |  Page 95  |  Page 96  |  Page 97  |  Page 98  |  Page 99  |  Page 100  |  Page 101  |  Page 102  |  Page 103  |  Page 104  |  Page 105  |  Page 106  |  Page 107  |  Page 108  |  Page 109  |  Page 110  |  Page 111  |  Page 112  |  Page 113  |  Page 114  |  Page 115  |  Page 116  |  Page 117  |  Page 118  |  Page 119  |  Page 120  |  Page 121  |  Page 122  |  Page 123  |  Page 124  |  Page 125  |  Page 126  |  Page 127  |  Page 128  |  Page 129  |  Page 130  |  Page 131  |  Page 132  |  Page 133  |  Page 134  |  Page 135  |  Page 136  |  Page 137  |  Page 138  |  Page 139  |  Page 140  |  Page 141