The University of South Florida (USF) Board of Trustees today unanimously voted to select Moez Limayem (pronounced Mow-ezz Lee-mayyem) as the university’s ninth president.
Limayem currently serves as president of the University of North Florida (UNF) and was the Lynn Pippenger Dean of the Muma College of Business at USF for 10 years.
His appointment is subject to confirmation by the Florida Board of Governors (BOG), which oversees the State University System, on November 6.
“Dr. Moez Limayem is an outstanding leader, who brings a unique combination of deep ties to the University of South Florida and Tampa Bay region, valuable experience as a university president in our state and a strong record of accomplishments in student success and engagement, research excellence, fundraising, corporate partnerships and much more,” said USF Board of Trustees Chair Will Weatherford, who also shared an extended message with the university community. “Dr. Limayem brings a palpable energy and enthusiasm to every room he enters, and he is fully aligned on our vision for USF Athletics and the transformational impact of our new on-campus stadium.”
Limayem’s three-and-a-half-year tenure at UNF has been filled with significant achievements and milestones. This year, UNF welcomed the largest incoming class of students in its history, leading to its highest overall enrollment since being founded in 1972. UNF also recently set an institutional record with its first-year student retention rate. With a strategic focus on community and corporate partnerships, UNF is No. 1 in the state for the highest percentage of bachelor’s graduates employed in Florida.
During his time at UNF, Limayem was recognized by Florida Trend as one of the state’s 500 most influential business leaders and by the Jacksonville Business Journal as an ‘Ultimate CEO,’ and he received an award from the National Academy of Inventors for his many contributions to innovation and invention.
While dean at USF, Limayem and his team raised more than $126 million in private donations for the college, including a $25 million gift from Pam and Les Muma in 2014, which at the time was the largest individual gift in the university’s history. In addition, Limayem was named among the Power 100: Tampa Bay’s Most Influential Business Leaders of 2022 by the Tampa Bay Business Journal.
“I am honored and humbled to be unanimously selected by the USF Board of Trustees. Serving as USF president would be the greatest honor of my professional life,” Limayem said.
His wife, Alya, a UNF faculty member of biology, is a renowned researcher who holds multiple U.S. patents, was named a Senior Member of the National Academy of Inventors last year. The couple has two children.
