U. of South Florida’s President Reflects on Long Tenure and Why She’s Stepping Down Now

Chronicle photo by Carmen Mendoza

After 18 years as president of the University of South Florida, Judy L. Genshaft announced this week she would step down in July 2019. Over her extraordinarily long tenure, both the university and American higher education have undergone fundamental changes due to shifts in the economy, politics, and expectations of what a postsecondary degree means.

In an interview with The Chronicle, Genshaft said the time was right for her to leave, in particular, because of the many milestones the university has achieved over the past year, including completing a billion-dollar fund-raising campaign, being designated a pre-eminent research university by the State University System’s Board of Governors, and being awarded a campus chapter of the Phi Beta Kappa honor society.

Genshaft also spoke about her time as president, the new demands on higher education, and what she would tell new presidents or those seeking the job. Following are excerpts of that interview, edited for length and clarity.

Q. How did you decide it was time to step down, and can you recall the moment when you said, “This is it”?

A. It was an involving process, but I’ve always, throughout my career, wanted to leave when the institution, wherever I was at, was on a high point.

I wanted to wait until my State of the State University address was delivered because I wanted people to hear, in the community and in the USF community as well, that we’re in a new era; we’ve got new peers now. We have brought this institution up to a whole new level, and it means that we’re going to have to increase what we’re doing and move faster, wiser, smarter, with optimism and energy forward. I waited until we beat Georgia Tech in football, and then out came the system with the announcement.

Intellectually, it was the right thing to do. Emotionally, it was very difficult.

Q. You’ve had a long tenure as president. What changes have had the biggest impact on how higher education operates over that time?

A. The presidency is similar to a roller-coaster ride: You have highs, and you have big challenges and scary times.

One of the trends I believe that’s really, really been impactful is all about student success. When I started, in 2000, the goal was “How many students can you get to enter the university?,” not “Have they graduated?” Now the measures are outcome measures and outcome goals, and that has really changed the way we look at students, the way we behave and try to help students.

And so the area of student success is such an important area for all of us, with new technologies and intervention programs. When higher ed ignores at-risk students, those students usually fail.

The explosion of online learning, especially in metropolitan areas, is also really, really an important one because students are working and they really want to go to school and it has to be when they have the time. And even the students who are at the campus, over 50 percent take one or more courses online in addition to their face-to-face courses.

The other issue I see is the loss of the global prestige of the United States: It’s losing some of its luster for international students to come to the United States. I worry about our global positioning for higher ed.

When I started I believe about 10 percent of the presidents at research universities were women. Now they’re hovering around 20 percent to 25 percent. It’s getting closer, but it’s taken 18 years.

Q. What would you tell new presidents, or those seeking that job for the first time?

A. Things happen; it’s how you handle them [that counts]. Always handle them with integrity, knowing that you have to believe in the decisions that you’ve made in order to live with yourself. What’s in the best interest of the students? That’s the key question. And if you’re making the decision based on what’s in the best interest of the students, you’re going to make the best decision.

Eric Kelderman writes about money and accountability in higher education, including such areas as state policy, accreditation, and legal affairs. You can find him on Twitter @etkeld, or email him at eric.kelderman@chronicle.com.