TAMPA, FL. – Members of the state university system’s Board of Governors on Wednesday confirmed Rhea Law’s appointment as the University of South Florida’s eighth president.
The USF Board of Trustees last week selected Law for the job, after she served as the school’s interim leader for about eight months. USF trustees Chairman Will Weatherford praised Law as the right person for the job and apologized to Law for a conversation they had at the outset of the school’s search process.
“The agreement that she and I had was that I had asked her not to apply for the permanent position,” Weatherford said, recalling that Law told him at the time that she had “no desire” to take the job on a permanent basis. Law, an attorney who is a graduate and former trustee of USF, told the Board of Governors that she had a change of heart after the initial conversation with Weatherford. “Some people have asked me why I changed my mind,” Law said.
“I will tell you that the reason is that there’s so much promise, there’s so much opportunity right here for the University of South Florida,” said Law.
Weatherford described Law’s passion for the school as what set her apart from other candidates.
“You can’t replace passion. When someone loves an organization or an institution, the way that they lead it is very different than someone who’s doing it for a paycheck or for a job,” Weatherford, a former state House speaker, said.
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