Will Weatherford, who served as chair of the University of South Florida’s Board of Trustees during a period of major institutional growth, is stepping down from the role after five years.
Weatherford said he will remain as trustee “to do everything I can to support USF’s success in the years ahead here in Tampa Bay, in Tallahassee and wherever else we need to be.”
Weatherford, whose tenure mostly paralleled that of former president Rhea Law, was part of a leadership structure as USF achieved an all-time high of $750 million in research funding, joined the prestigious Association of American Universities and expanded support for athletics, including construction of an on-campus stadium.
“In that time, USF has achieved milestones that speak not only to our ambition, but to our ability to deliver,” Weatherford said.
Other accomplishments included the start of a first-of-its-kind Bellini College of Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity and Computing and the USF Health Institute for Translational Virology, headquarters of the Global Virus Network.
“There were times when others doubted what we could achieve. Some questioned whether we could reach AAU membership so quickly, or whether an on-campus stadium would ever become reality. Some even laughed. They are not laughing anymore,” Weatherford said.