Bulls by the Bay with Colleen Cherry-Vallin

The University of South Florida is marking a major milestone in 2026 with a year-long celebration of its 70th anniversary, reflecting on its journey from a small commuter school in 1956 to a top-tier public research university serving nearly 50,000 students across three campuses. The anniversary campaign will spotlight the people, moments, and milestones that shaped USF, while also looking ahead with fresh signage, videos, limited-edition merchandise, a dedicated website, and invitations for the community to share their own USF memories. Looking forward, USF is highlighting transformative initiatives like a 35,000-seat on-campus stadium opening in 2027, the Bellini College of Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity and Computing, and the mixed-use Fletcher District, all under the leadership of its ninth president, Moez Limayem.

🔗 https://www.usf.edu/news/2026/usf-celebrates-70th-anniversary-in-2026-with-year-long-campaign-honoring-its-history-focusing-on-the-future.aspx

USF’s momentum is also showing up in the national research spotlight. New rankings from the National Science Foundation place USF at No. 47 among public universities and No. 69 overall, with $522 million in research expenditures in fiscal year 2024 — a 13% year-over-year increase that outpaces more than 90% of its peers. Federal investments are fueling impactful work, from cybersecurity training to climate resilience tools like the CRIS-HAZARD app, which helps communities track flooding risks in real time. Growth in fields such as Computer and Information Sciences, now ranked No. 25 among public universities, highlights USF’s expanding role in workforce development and innovation.

🔗 https://www.usf.edu/news/2026/usf-rises-in-new-research-rankings-outpacing-many-peer-institutions-in-growth.aspx

On the USF St. Petersburg campus, groundbreaking discovery is happening on a much smaller — but no less important — scale. Graduate student Anne Sawl is conducting conservation research on the Florida scrub millipede, a rare species found only on the Lake Wales Ridge. Her recent success in observing millipedes hatching and thriving in a campus lab marks a major step forward in understanding and protecting this imperiled creature, which plays a key role in Florida’s scrub ecosystems.

🔗 https://www.stpetersburg.usf.edu/news/2026/rare-giant-millipedes-unearthed-in-graduate-students-conservation-research.aspx

👉 Keep up with all the latest USF St. Petersburg news and stories shaping the future of our region.