‘The honor of a lifetime’: USF President Rhea Law says goodbye

Rhea Law will step down Friday as president of the University of South Florida, one year after announcing her retirement.

Her successor Moez Limayem, approved by the state Board of Governors in December, will take over Feb. 17, Law wrote in a farewell message to the university Monday.

Limayem, 63, was the Lynn Pippenger Dean of the Muma College of Business at USF for a decade before becoming the University of North Florida’s president in 2022.

“He will bring proven experience as a university leader; extensive knowledge of USF, the Tampa Bay region and higher education in Florida; and a deep commitment to the success of our students, faculty and staff,” Law wrote.

ALSO READ: Florida Board of Governors unanimously confirms Moez Limayem as USF’s next president

Law, 76, spent four years in the post after initially being selected interim president in August 2021. She was named permanently to the role in March 2022, becoming the first USF graduate to serve as president. She announced her retirement Feb. 17, 2025.

In her farewell, Law described how when she first arrived on campus as an employee and student in the 1960s, USF was a “small commuter school.” Under her tenure, USF has become one of the nation’s leading public research schools and a member of the Association of American Universities.

“That kind of transformation is extremely rare in higher education, especially this quickly, and it hasn’t happened by accident,” Law wrote.

She acknowledged this was possible due to dedication from faculty, staff, students, alumni and donors. She also acknowledged the USF Board of Trustees, the Florida Board of Governors and elected officials for their collaboration and support.

Law, a longtime Tampa attorney and business leader, described how USF has been her passion for over 40 years and credited much of her success to the university shaping her life.

“The opportunity to be the first alum to serve as president over the past 4½ years has been both humbling and inspiring. Working alongside our world-class faculty and staff, and witnessing the growth, resilience and achievements of our students, has been an absolute privilege,” Law wrote.

Law shared more of her insights about her tenure and the university’s evolution on Inside USF: The Podcast. During the podcast, she said she was most surprised by how much she loved being president.

“I didn’t have on my to-do list to become the president of the University of South Florida,” she said.

At the time, Law was retiring from her law practice and was going to lead two private foundations part time. That’s when she received the call that USF was looking for an interim leader. She said she immediately started suggesting other people – but the role ended up being hers.

“It has been such an incredible experience for me. I came in thinking I would be here maybe four to six months – 4½ years later, I realized this has been the honor of a lifetime,” she said.

Law also described how one of her favorite aspects of being president were graduations. She led her final commencement in December. During her tenure, she conferred more than 59,000 degrees and led over 81 ceremonies.

“When you see students walk across the stage and you hear their family and friends yell for them, that’s so meaningful. I really loved that,” she said. “It’s a lot of handshaking, and it’s a lot of joy.”

Meleah Lyden is a digital news producer for WUSF, the NPR station for the greater Tampa Bay area.