UNF tabs USF business dean Moez Limayem as next president

The University of North Florida has identified its next president — University of South Florida Muma Faculty of Small business Dean Moez Limayem.

Limayem was picked around 3 other finalists to succeed David Szymanski as president of the Jacksonville university:

• David Blackwell, a professor of finance and previous provost at the College of Kentucky.
• David Brennen, a professor of legislation and former dean of the regulation faculty at the College of Kentucky.
• Marc Miller, dean of the legislation school at the College of Arizona.

Szymanski stepped down past 12 months.

The appointment still demands the acceptance of the state’s Board of Governors, which is slated to fulfill June 29-30 in Orlando.

“Dr. Limayem has a confirmed history as an impressive and completed chief with the vision to advance the University,” Kevin Hyde, chair of the UNF board of trustees, said in a news launch. “As we celebrate UNF’s 50th calendar year, we seem forward to Dr. Limayem working with his working experience, management and partaking design and style to keep on to establish on our robust history, expanding chances for college students and maximizing the University’s vital role in the location and beyond.”

Limayem, 58, joined the Muma Higher education of Company in 2012 after serving as the associate dean for analysis and graduate systems at the College of Arkansas Sam W. Walton Faculty of Business enterprise.

Since then, he’s aided increase extra than $126 million dollars for the college, including numerous naming gifts of far more than $10 million every:

• Pam and Les Muma gave $25 million — the solitary premier gift in USF history in 2014
• Lynn Pippenger has given far more than $22 million to USF, together with $10 million to USF and its accounting courses, which now bear her name. The endowed deanship for the Faculty of Organization was also named for Pippenger just after a $5 million donation in 2020
• Barron Reward Collier III and his wife, Dana, gave $10.85 million to the higher education for the Collier Student Achievements Centre in 2015
• and Arnie and Lauren Bellini gave $10 million in 2020 to make the Bellini Center for Talent Improvement.

Limayem also oversaw the growth of the college’s freshman retention fee to 95 percent, along with equivalent growth in work placement prices.

When Limayem joined USF in 2012, he explained to WUSF’s College Beat that amongst his plans was obtaining absent from a training style he referred to as “Death by PowerPoint” and in its place boost college student internships and other connections with opportunity businesses.

“We want our college students to have significant specialist activities,” he reported. “We do more than just disseminate expertise, we prepare our college students for a expert profession, so when they start working, they’re far better than the other folks who had the dose of PowerPoint.”

Limayem has a robust global history, including serving as an qualified in IT for the United Nations Academic, Scientific and Cultural Firm (UNESCO) given that 1992 and educating at the University of Minnesota, Laval University in Canada, Metropolis University of Hong Kong, and College of Lausanne in Switzerland.

USF President Rhea Legislation place out a assertion Monday afternoon, congratulating Limayem.

“I deeply take pleasure in all that Dean Limayem has contributed in the past ten years to elevate enterprise instruction and research at the University of South Florida, the passionate leadership he brought to the school and his services to USF,” said Regulation. “His means to link with employers and rapidly form curriculum as our entire world improvements has led to the development of new applications in fintech and cybersecurity, as perfectly as the addition of majors in provide chain administration and private economical planning.”

Regulation also claimed USF plans to perform a nationwide research for Limayem’s successor.

Limayem is the most up-to-date in a series of USF officers to go away the university.

Provost Ralph Wilcox is stepping down in August right after about 14 several years in the position. College or university of Arts and Sciences Dean Eric Eisenberg will provide as interim provost whilst the lookup for Wilcox’s successor carries on. Wilcox will keep on being at USF as a professor.

Senior vice provost and Dean of the Business of Graduate Scientific studies Dwayne Smith is also retiring August 6 just after 22 years at USF.

And USF St. Petersburg campus regional chancellor Martin Tadlock is stepping down June 17 and will be returning to a training job in the USF University of Instruction. He joined USF in 2016 and has served as chancellor considering the fact that 2017.