The University of South Florida is reaching new heights.
President Moez Limayem delivered his first fall address Wednesday, at a strategic time, Sept. 9 at 9:09 a.m. — a nod to his role as the school's ninth president.
He had a question for those in attendance: "What should the university look like in nine years?"
"Will there be something that we are proud of then that we have the courage to start now?” Limayem asked.
Enrollment and research growth
Limayem shared a few things he was proud of, especially the growth seen at the university. He announced the class of 2030 is over nine percent larger than the last incoming class and has the best academic statistics in the university's 70 year history.
“Our undergraduate class includes 7,393 students, and as the class has grown, its academic profile has gotten even stronger," Limayem said. "The average GPA for our fall class increased to 4.29, and the average SAT to 1,328.”
Among those students are 83 National Merit Scholars, up from 60 last year.
“Our record-breaking incoming class of students is another indicator that the University of South Florida is a destination that attracts the top talent,” Limayem said. "We are committed to preparing students to be critical thinkers and problem solvers who have the essential skills for successful careers once they earn a USF degree.”
The university's reputation for research has also grown significantly.
USF reached a record-breaking $750 million in research funding in fiscal 2025.
Some of that money is being invested in the Bellini College of Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity and Computing, which Limayem shared new renderings of. The building will be located near the entrance of the USF Tampa campus, on the corner of Lee Ray Collins Boulevard and USF Alumni Drive.
Read more: A historic gift establishes name for USF's college for AI and cybersecurity
No construction date has been set for the building, but $35 million in state money has already been committed to the project.
“This is an important piece of USF's future,” Limayem said. “We envision a place designed for students, faculty, research and collaboration in fields that are reshaping nearly every part of our lives – and protecting our digital spaces.”
Construction reshapes the Tampa campus
There's multiple construction projects already ongoing on the Tampa campus.
On Tuesday, the university formally broke ground on Uptown Landing USF, the nearly $500 million mixed-use development that is planned for about 30 acres of land just north of the the Tampa campus.
The development, which was previously known as "the Fletcher District," will include student housing, retail, dining, academic buildings and research facilities.
Read more: USF breaks ground on $500M Uptown Landing development
Just across the street from Uptown Landing, USF continues working on the new on-campus sports stadium.
The stadium is scheduled to open in fall of 2027. Limayem said during his address, the project remains on schedule and on budget.
Read more: See how USF's on-campus football stadium is taking shape
Looking towards the future
Limayem closed his address the same way he started, wondering how the university may look in nine years.
He invited faculty and staff to write messages about what they hope USF will have accomplished by 2035. Those messages will be placed in a time capsule, which is scheduled to be opened at 9:09 a.m. on September 9th of that year — exactly nine years from the start of his address.
Limayem hopes by then, the university will have prepared students for changing careers, conducted research to solve significant issues and become a model university for others to look up to.
“We know where we've been,” Limayem said. “Now it's time to show how far we're willing to go.”
