The University of North Florida likely will be looking for a new president after the University of South Florida board of trustees unanimously voted Oct. 21 to select Moez Limayem as USF’s ninth president.
Limayem was the Lynn Pippenger Dean of the Muma College of Business at USF for 10 years before accepting the president’s position at UNF in August 2022.
His appointment is subject to confirmation by the Florida Board of Governors, which oversees the state university system. The board is scheduled to consider Limayem’s confirmation at its meeting Nov. 6.
“Dr. Moez Limayem is an outstanding leader, who brings a unique combination of deep ties to the University of South Florida and Tampa Bay region, valuable experience as a university president in our state and a strong record of accomplishments in student success and engagement, research excellence, fundraising, corporate partnerships and much more,” USF board of trustees Chair Will Weatherford said in a USF news release.
“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. 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.”
“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,” Limayem said in the release.
Limayem led UNF as it welcomed its largest incoming class in its history this year. The 3,170 students led UNF to an enrollment of 17,600, its highest since being founded in 1972.
The release said that UNF is No. 1 in the state for the highest percentage of bachelor’s graduates employed in Florida.
While dean at USF, Limayem and his team raised more than $126 million in private donations for the college, including a $25 million gift from Pam and Les Muma in 2014, which at the time was the largest individual gift in the university’s history.
He also led efforts to enhance career preparation and placement, internships and talent development of students. In addition, Limayem was named among the Power 100: Tampa Bay’s Most Influential Business Leaders of 2022 by the Tampa Bay Business Journal. In November, he is slated to be inducted into the First Coast Business Hall of Fame.
He received MBA and a doctorate from the University of Minnesota.
His wife Alya, a UNF faculty member in the Biology Department, is a researcher who holds multiple U.S. patents, was named a senior member of the National Academy of Inventors last year and was recognized as a 2024 Rising Star of the Academy of Science, Engineering and Medicine of Florida. The couple has two children.
USF said its presidential search process included stakeholder input; the development of a position profile; marketing of the position; identifying and screening the most qualified candidates; recommending a finalist to the board of trustees for consideration; and holding on-campus meetings with members of the university community.