Inside USF: The Podcast

Amir Abdur-Rahim has been the competitive sort since an early age – that was a necessity growing up in a family with 13 children. He brings that competitive fire, and a commitment to building a men’s basketball program that will be “tough, together and connected,” as he begins his inaugural season this month as the Bulls’ head coach. In this episode, Abdur-Rahim discusses what attracted him to USF, what he expects from his team as both students and athletes, and the priority he places on having what he calls “a service heart.”

From the invitation to join the prestigious Association of American Universities to a new state budget that represents the largest operational funding increase in our university’s history, this has been an eventful summer for USF. In this episode, President Rhea Law shares her perspective on USF’s many successes and how they will impact faculty, staff and students.

Joseph Dituri, an associate professor of biomedical engineering at USF, who also is known as “Dr. Deep Sea,” is on a mission. Living in a 100-square-foot habitat at Jules’ Undersea Lodge in Key Largo since March 1, Dituri has captured worldwide media attention as he attempts to break the current record of 73 days living underwater. While his goal is to remain 30 feet beneath the surface for 100 days, Dituri’s priorities are getting children interested in STEM – he’s talked to classes in Spain, Australia and Vietnam, among others – and conducting research that will benefit NASA astronauts on a mission to Mars. While still underwater during USF’s Maymester, Dituri will teach a course on hyperbaric engineering.

USF’s Sarasota-Manatee campus is on the eve of an exciting new era. Ground will soon be broken for a housing and student center complex and planning is under way for a nursing/STEM facility. Regional Chancellor Karen Holbrook discusses the need for the facilities and the benefits they will offer to students, faculty and the community. We also learn about her career in higher education and life outside the university, including her passion for seabirds.

USF’s College of Nursing is in the early stages of an all-out effort to expand undergraduate education to help address the shortage of nurses – projected to reach 59,000 in Florida by 2035. Usha Menon, dean of the college and senior vice president of USF Health, discusses the reasons for the nursing shortage crisis, plans to expand the college’s physical footprint and enrollment, and its extensive community outreach efforts. (Note: The College of Nursing is highlighted in the winter issue of USF Magazine, which will be published in mid-December. It will be available online here.)

While Homecoming – scheduled this year for Oct. 9-15 – may be its most visible event, the USF Alumni Association sponsors more than 250 events annually to provide alumni with relevant, meaningful experiences. Bill McCausland, vice president and executive director of the association, discusses the extensive planning that goes into the Homecoming celebration, coordinated by a 30-member committee representing all three campuses. He also shares details on some of the many other ways USF’s 385,000 living alumni – which includes nearly 3,900 members of our faculty and staff – can stay connected to, and help support, students and the university.

Enhancing internal communications and increasing USF’s reputation locally, nationally and internationally are priorities for University Communications and Marketing. Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer Kim Hill shares insights about some of the projects that highlight USF’s compelling story, such as a non-traditional national marketing campaign, and plans for an extensive brand research project that will include focus groups and surveys.

Whether it’s gas, groceries or just about anything else, we’re all feeling the impacts of a very volatile economy. Michael Snipes, a member of USF’s economics faculty on the Sarasota-Manatee campus, shares his perspectives on the national economy as well as Tampa Bay’s – which he believes is in better shape to weather an economic downturn than other parts of the country.