USF gets it right in selecting Rhea Law as president | Editorial - Tampa Bay Times
The University of South Florida made the best choice in selecting Rhea Law as its next president. She’s a homegrown talent, a USF graduate and a well-respected lawyer, with praiseworthy communication and leadership chops — and it didn’t hurt that most keen observers thought she was already doing well as the interim leader. Now, she’ll be in charge of furthering USF’s ambition of becoming a top-tier academic institution.
Law, 72, took the interim reins last summer after President Steve Currall announced he was stepping down after two difficult years. Currall, who was provost and vice president at Southern Methodist University in Dallas before coming to USF, was saddled with the early stages of the COVID pandemic, but he also appeared to struggle with the ever-present politics that come with the job.
Law has deep roots in the Tampa Bay area. She ran one of the area’s most prominent law firms and has sat on many boards. She already knows most of the political players. She understands which levers are worth pulling, and perhaps more importantly, which ones to leave alone. She’s already up to speed, a major advantage over outside candidates. As the Times reported this week, she cultivated relationships with lawmakers during her time as interim president, resulting in a record budget year for the university in the just-ended legislative session.
As we have said before, USF’s president must be a bulwark for academic freedom, someone strong enough to stand up to meddling by the state Legislature, but do it without unnecessary grandstanding. The president should continue USF’s lead role in developing the area’s workforce, from its strong partnerships with the local medical community and the Tampa Bay Partnership to nurturing students ready to start the businesses and fill the jobs that drive the local economy.
USF has a history of helping tackle real-world problems, from studying the effects of the BP oil spill to finding the lost remains at a state reform school notorious for abusing students. USF helps produce nurses to staff our hospitals and teachers to educate our students. Law would likely have understood the importance of gathering public input before trying to close the undergraduate College of Education program, something that failed to happen in 2020 when Currall’s administration announced the short-lived and highly controversial move. She has the experience and skills to ensure that USF continues to fulfill its many important roles.
After her selection on Tuesday, Law emphasized how she wants to help USF meet its goal of becoming a top 25 public university in the nation. (USF placed 46th in U.S. News’ latest rankings.) She would also like to position USF to join the American Association of Universities, a group of top research schools. One of her first tasks will be filling several key leadership roles including provost, regional chancellor in St. Petersburg, vice president for research and vice president for diversity, equity and inclusion.
Law beat out the only other finalist, Jeffrey Talley, a former chief of the U.S. Army Reserve whose resume included a number of academic posts and jobs in the business world, including time as a vice president at IBM. Talley nearly dropped out of the running, dissatisfied by the uneven selection process. USF, and Talley, are better off for his remaining in the running. He was impressive during the selection process, bringing an outsider’s eye. He emphasized how students at USF’s satellite campuses shouldn’t feel like “second-class citizens.” The university should establish each campuses’ “secret sauce” and brand around it, much like he said he helped grow Texas A&M’s satellite campus in San Antonio around an identity of cybersecurity. That’s good advice, and its already happening with the St. Petersburg campus’ Interdisciplinary Center of Excellence in Environmental and Oceanographic Sciences.
In the end, Law was the better fit, especially coming off of the previous two tumultuous years. Her nomination still must be approved by the Board of Governors, which oversees the State University System. Law’s impressive resume and early results as interim president should make that step a no brainer. “USF President Rhea Law” has a nice ring to it.
Editorials are the institutional voice of the Tampa Bay Times. The members of the Editorial Board are Editor of Editorials Graham Brink, Sherri Day, Sebastian Dortch, John Hill, Jim Verhulst and Chairman Paul Tash. Follow @TBTimes_Opinion on Twitter for more opinion news.
source: https://www.tampabay.com/opinion/2022/03/24/usf-gets-it-right-in-selecting-rhea-law-as-president-editorial/
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