USF Board approves Rhea Law as Interim President

The University of South Florida Board of Trustees unanimously approved the appointment of Rhea Law to serve as Interim President on the same day the current president’s tenure officially comes to an end.

At a special Board of Trustees meeting held Monday, board members overwhelmingly approved Law to fill the position previously held by Steve Currall. After serving as President of USF for two years, Currall surprisingly announced his resignation on July 19. His resignation became effective today.

USF Board of Trustees Chair Will Weatherford announced the unanimous approval in an email to USF students and faculty Monday morning. Weatherford said Law would immediately begin reaching out to members of the USF community to introduce herself and “listen and learn from you.”

“Your voices are critically important throughout this process,” said Weatherford.

The appointment is still subject to confirmation by the USF Board of Governors, which will vote on approval at its next meeting on Aug. 31.

“Interim President Law has an impressive background and is uniquely qualified to help lead USF during this transition,” said Weatherford. “Her deep ties within our community and her stellar leadership abilities will enable us to continue our momentum.”

Law is a USF alumna and graduate of Stetson University College of Law. She was a founding member of the Board of Trustees and the first and only female chair. She also served on the Presidential Search Committee during the university’s two previous presidential searches.

Law has said that she will not apply for the permanent president position.