Rhea Law, the eighth president of the University of South Florida, has announced her plans to retire after a national search for her successor is conducted and a candidate has been selected.
According to the most recent federal data, the University of South Florida enrolls about 37,000 undergraduate and 11,000 graduate students. Women represent 56 percent of the undergraduate population.
Law was selected to serve as interim president of the University of South Florida in August 2021 and was named permanent president in March 2022. During her tenure, the university has experienced record-breaking growth in research funding, undergraduate applications, philanthropic giving, and state legislative funding. The institution has also opened several new academic, athletic, and student service facilities. In 2023, USF was invited to join the Association of American Universities.
Prior to her presidency, Law was one of the founding members of the university’s board of trustees. She spent five years as vice chair and four years as the first and only woman chair. She has over 35 years of experience in the legal field, including service as the former CEO of Fowler White Boggs, a Florida law firm. Her areas of practice included higher education, environment and land use, government, and economic development.
Law received her bachelor’s degree in management from the University of South Florida and her juris doctorate from Stetson University in Florida.