TAMPA — Moez Limayem sat in front of the University of South Florida’s board of trustees Tuesday morning wearing a burgundy tie.
When he returned after the board’s vote, he had swapped it for a green one.
USF trustees unanimously approved Limayem, the president of the University of North Florida and a previous dean of USF’s Muma College of Business, as the university’s next president in a special meeting.
His next and final hurdle: Florida’s Board of Governors, which oversees the state’s university system and is expected to vote on him in early November.
USF’s board interviewed Limayem, 62, about many of the same topics he spoke about last week at his public forums for faculty: fundraising strategies, athletics, student success and free speech.
Limayem said he plans to meet with thestudent government. He called reimagining the athletic director role as the CEO of Athletics an “act of genius.” He said he will diversify funding sources and support research from all disciplines.
“If you look at the biggest challenges facing our country and the world, they cannot be resolved or alleviated with one single discipline,” he said.
Limayem also said that fundraising relies on creating genuine relationships. PhilanthropistsLes and Pam Muma, who donated a historic $25 million to the Muma College of Business when Limayem was dean, smiled at him from their seats.
In their questions, the trustees mostly avoided controversial topics like those that sank Santa Ono’s potential presidency at the University of Florida earlier this year. But trustee Charbel Barakat did ask Limayem how he navigated the changes in diversity, equity, and inclusion programs and free expression on campus as UNF’s president.
Limayem said he is committed to providing what faculty, staff and students need to be successful. All programs, initiatives, centers and engagement opportunities will be open to all students, he said.
Limayem said he will commit to ensuring USF is a safe space for people to express their ideologies. That expression comes with responsibility, too, he said.
“If we want people to respect what we think, what we say, we have to respect others and what they think and what they say,” he said.
Rhea Law has been USF’s president since 2022 after serving in the interim role the year before. She announced her retirement in February.
The search committee conducted listening sessions with faculty and other stakeholders over the summer, board Vice Chairperson Mike Griffin said, then began advertising the position. Limayem was announced as the sole finalist in late September.
The board authorized Chairperson Will Weatherford to negotiate a contract with Limayem. The contract must not exceed $2.4 million in total annual compensation and must include bonus performance incentives. All compensation over $200,000 must come from private resources. Law’s base salary is $825,000.
The contract will be drawn up and presented to the Board of Governors. They will likely vote on Limayem’s appointment at their meeting in early November, which is scheduled to be held at USF.
Griffin said the search committee reviewed many qualified candidates, including sitting university presidents from across the country.
“When you look far and wide,” he said. “Sometimes the answer is right in front of you.”
