University of South Florida president Rhea Law announced plans to retire on Monday, ending more than two years during which the school achieved significant academic, athletic and community accomplishments.
Law, 75, has served as president since August 2021, initially on an interim basis before being named to the role permanently in March 2022.
She plans to remain in the post until a successor is found. The university’s Board of Trustees will announce plans in the coming days regarding a national search.
In a message to the university, Law noted that when she was first asked to serve as interim president, her goal was to set up her replacement for future success. With that goal reached, she decided this was the time to step down.
“During my tenure we established bold goals — and thanks to our talented, dedicated team of faculty, staff, administrators and students — we exceeded them, sometimes soaring beyond what many thought was possible,” Law said in a message to the university community.
Law was the first USF graduate to serve as president and has deep ties within the university community and throughout the state. She earned an undergraduate degree in management from USF, putting herself through school while working as the university research project administrator for the Office of Sponsored Research. She then earned her law degree in law at Stetson University.
“After over 40 years as an employee, student, board member and chair, donor, volunteer and now president, I am filled with gratitude and pride for all we have achieved,” she said. “Serving this community as USF’s eighth president has been the honor of my lifetime, and I look forward to cheering on the continued success of this incredible university.”
Under Law, USF in 2023 became the first Florida public university to be invited into the Association of American Universities in nearly 40 years, a goal established by the school when she was chair of the Board of Trustees more than 15 years earlier. The AAU includes the top 3% of universities based on research and education quality in the United States and Canada.
During her tenure, USF has been ranked among the top 50 public universities in America by U.S. News & World Report, including as the “best value” among all state universities.
USF has recently set institutional records for research funding as well as the single-year records for number of donors and total philanthropic giving to the university, the school said in a news release.
The volume of applications for admission has also increased 35% over the past three years.
In 2021, the Board of Trustees announced intentions to build an on-campus stadium. Law and her leadership team developed a plan and ground was broken in November, with an opening slated for fall 2027.
“I came to this position with the idea of providing a glide path," she said to reporters during a press conference Monday. "I hope what I’ve done now at this point is create a launch pad. We have accomplished so much, and it’s just time at this point to move forward.”
USF has recently earned national recognition as a top employer, including ranking as the best among state universities in Florida by Forbes and as one of America’s greatest workplaces by Newsweek.
"I want someone who really sees the potential and is excited about the university," she said. "Who wants to engage with the students, engage with the faculty, and engage with the communities that surround us."
Law's retirement comes about six months after her husband of 39 years, Wayne Williams, died at age 84.
A month later, the Board of Trustees amended the final year of her contract to increase her salary. Base pay went from $655,000 to $825,000, and the cap on performance pay went from $300,000 to $412,500. The decision was made to keep the salary on par with other university presidents.
Before coming to USF, Law has been involved in corporate, public policy, civic, and charitable with leadership positions for many Florida-based organizations.
“Rhea Law has truly been the right leader at the right time for the University of South Florida. I am forever grateful that she was willing to accept this role, first on an interim basis, and then permanently after members of our community urged her to apply and supported her for the position,” said Will Weatherford, who chairs the Board of Trustees.
“By every measure Rhea has been exceptional in leading our university to unprecedented levels of success. For more than four decades she has stayed connected to USF and we would not be where we are today without her.”
The announcement came on the same day that former Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nunez began serving as interim president of Florida International University and a week after former state House Majority Leader Adam Hasner was named president of Florida Atlantic University.
Reporters asked Law if she thinks USF will follow the lead of other state universities and select a politician with limited education experience.
“We need the person who cares about the university, who has knowledge about not only academics, but has knowledge about a university community and how to handle the kind of challenges that we may have on a daily basis," she said. "And more importantly, how to address those and turn those into opportunities.”
The state university system’s Board of Governors is slated Thursday to sign off on Nunez’s appointment as interim president and her contract. She would make an annual base salary of $850,000 and could receive a bonus up to 15 percent of the base salary amount, or $127,500, according to a copy of the proposed contract posted on the university system’s website.
Under state rules, FIU will have to conduct a search for a permanent president. While the FIU board on Feb. 7 did not specifically discuss Nunez serving as permanent president, trustee Dean Colson indicated the “probable results of the search are already known.”
The system’s Board of Governors on Thursday also will consider Hasner’s appointment as president of Florida Atlantic University. Hasner would make an annual base salary of $875,000, with the possibility of a $150,000 bonus, according to a copy of the contract on the university system website.
Meanwhile, the University of Florida and Florida A&M University are operating with interim presidents, and Florida Polytechnic University, Florida Gulf Coast University, Florida State University, the University of North Florida and New College of Florida have presidents who were appointed since 2021.
Information from the News Service of Florida was used in this report.
