By Paul Guzzo, University Communications and Marketing

As the University of South Florida kicks off the 2025–26 academic year, students,
faculty and staff will find a no shortage of new programs, services and experiences.

From a reimagined dining experience and expanded mental health resources to the debut
of women’s beach volleyball and cutting-edge academic programs, USF is ushering in
a year marked by innovation, student engagement and bold moves across academics, wellness
and campus life.

Explore the highlights and see what’s new this year.

Campus Life

Show off your Bulls pride by donning gear sold at the USF Bookstore. New brands being offered this fall include LaFavre, Cameron J. and Lululemon. The
store will also boast new products by Pro Standard, Horn Legend, Hype and Vice, Peter
Millar, Adidas and Branded Bills.

Chartwells Higher Education, part of Compass Group, is USF’s new on-campus dining provider under the name USF Dining. Chartwells offers wellness-forward, from-scratch cooking,
a focus on global cuisine, and support for every dietary need — from vegan and vegetarian
to top-nine allergen-free.

Favorites such as Chick-fil-A, Panera, Flip Kitchen, Subway, Starbucks, Panda Express,
Moe’s Southwest Grill, Papa John’s, Blenz Bowls, Naga Tea and Kahwa Coffee will remain.

Additions include:

• Evolution Kitchen and Bay Features, highlighting Bay Area culinary traditions
• Mobile ordering and real-time menu updates for fast, tech-enabled service
• A strong commitment to wellness, sustainability and Florida-sourced ingredients

The Hub, Juniper, and the Nest also now feature extensive salad bars, enhanced grill
offerings, and a refreshed look. Each dining hall offers a Pure Eats allergy friendly
station, while Juniper Dining Hall offers a dedicated Halal-friendly station. 

USF has replaced Local Restaurant Row on the Tampa and St. Petersburg campuses with
Bay Features – showcasing local restaurants Jerk Hut, Wing Boyz and Blackjack Pizza.

At Sarasota-Manatee campus, new dining concepts include Evolution Kitchen, Ghost Kitchen,
and Market Go.

The USF St. Petersburg campus is advancing its commitment to sustainability through
a partnership with Duke Energy, which is funding several eco-friendly initiatives. These include the installation
of four electric vehicle fast-charging stations and 32 new recycling bins in residence
halls.

Beyond infrastructure, Duke Energy is also supporting environmental education by investing
in the Oceanography Camp Especially for Girls, a long-running marine science program
for rising ninth graders.

Together, these efforts aim to reduce the campus’s environmental footprint while empowering
students to lead in clean energy and conservation.

Athletics

Bryan Hodgson is the program’s 12th head coach. He brings 18 years of collegiate coaching experience
and comes from Arkansas State, where he led the team to consecutive 20-win seasons
and its first postseason appearance since 1999. He was also a finalist for the Joe
B. Hall Award, recognizing the nation’s top first-year head coach.

Levy, a leader in sports and entertainment hospitality, will now manage food and beverage
services at USF athletic venues. At Champion’s Choice — the student-athlete dining
hall — Levy chefs will collaborate with USF nutritionists to craft high-performance
menus inspired by diverse global cuisines.

Levy will also elevate the fan experience at the Yuengling Center and other venues
with:

• New signature menu items spotlighting local Tampa flavors
• Additional checkout points to increase speed and access

Added to USF’s catalog of athletic programs in 2023, the USF beach volleyball team
will kick off its inaugural season this spring. The team is led by head coach Pri
Piantadosi-Lima, who was named the 2022 USAV Female Junior Coach of the Year during
her tenure as head coach of the USAV Beach National Team Development Program. The
Bulls will compete in Conference USA.

Academics & Research

The Bellini College of Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity and Computing will officially
open, welcoming its first batch of students.

It’s the first of its kind in Florida and one of the pioneers in the nation to bring
together the disciplines of artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and computing into
a dedicated college.

It aims to position Florida as a global leader and economic engine in AI, cybersecurity,
and computing education and research by fostering interdisciplinary innovation and
ethical technology development through strong industry and government partnerships.

This year, the college begins offering bachelor’s and master’s degrees in artificial
intelligence, plus a graduate certificate in “AI and Everyday Impact.”

Also, Vinik Sport and Entertainment Management Program and the School of Hospitality
and Tourism Management have officially merged to form the new School of Hospitality
and Sport Management. This strategic move unites the strengths of both programs to
enhance academic offerings, expand research opportunities, and better prepare students
for dynamic careers in sport, entertainment, hospitality, and tourism.

Other new programs and certificates include:

• Bachelor of Science degrees in aerospace engineering through the College of Engineering;
  exercise science and kinesiology through the College of Education; health and nutrition
  science, plus health and physical rehabilitation science through the College of Public
  Health; and design through the College of Design, Art & Performance.
• Master of Science degree in FinTech through the Muma College of Business.
• Graduate certificates in AI and Teaching and Learning through the College of Education
  and Applied Lifestyle Medicine Health Coaching through the College of Public Health.

A distinguished researcher and academic leader, Levi Thompson previously served as dean at the University of Delaware and was a long-time faculty
member at the University of Michigan. At USF, he will oversee faculty recruitment
and retention, advance research and teaching initiatives and cultivate relationships
with alumni, donors and advisory boards.

USF Libraries Digital Collections have added a record-breaking 92,000 items.

Notable additions include the Searchable Ornithological Research Archive, which moved
to USF from the University of New Mexico, a large part of the Florida restaurant menu
archive, oral histories about the Tampa Theatre and 10,000 historic photographs of
the Tampa Bay region from the Gandy Collection of Commercial and Aerial Photography.

The USF Herbarium, home to more than 270,000 specimens of plants and algae, has completed its move
from the College of Arts and Sciences to the USF Libraries building and is now again
open to students and researchers. Established in 1958, the Herbarium is one of the
largest in the U.S. and the second largest in Florida.

Health & Safety

The University Police Department expanded its force with the addition of two explosives
detection dogs and a narcotics detection dog, replacing K9 Krege, who passed away
in March.

The Student Health and Wellness Center has launched the Working Bulls Sick Clinic,
providing acute care to faculty, staff and affiliated campus partners. The clinic
is open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., and offers walk-in care for minor
ailments such as fevers, sore throats, UTIs, and injuries, as well as seasonal vaccines.

The peer-to-peer online platform, TimelyCare, will continue to be available to students.
It’s a 24/7 virtual mental health platform that also offers on-demand video therapy
with licensed professionals, as well as access to health, nutrition and success coaches.
USF phased out Togetherall due to overlap between the two platforms.

From Oct. 27–31, multiple departments — including the Student Health and Wellness
Center, Campus Recreation and Wellness, the Center for Student Well-Being, the Counseling
Center and the Center for Victim Advocacy & Violence Prevention — will team up for
the first Tampa campus Wellness Week. Activities will focus on mental, physical and
sexual health, and include nature walks, yoga, time with emotional support animals
and Halloween-themed events.

The Student Health and Wellness Center will partner with USF Speech-Language and Audiology
Clinics to host its first free hearing screening clinic for faculty and staff on Aug.
27, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Student Engagement

Four new USF-themed murals now decorate the campus — and this time, the university
turned to its own student-artists for the work. Eva Davis designed the mural at the
Argos Center; Anne Nobrega’s art appears on both the Bookstore Café and Juniper Hall;
and Teo Tavares’ mural brightens the vending machine area in the Student Services
Building.

To commemorate the 70th anniversary of USF’s establishment in 1956, New Student Connections
is reviving its student engagement campaign under the new title, the “First 56.”

Research shows that students who connect and engage with a university during their
first six weeks on campus are more likely to persist through their first year and
progress to graduation. The program provides information, experiences, events, services
and expectations for students to effectively transition through the first 56 days
of the semester.

Events begin Aug. 21 with the annual Week of Welcome kick-off and balloon drop – which
will have a glow-themed celebration at the Marshall Student Center. Events will continue
through Oct. 16. Students can track their experiences along the way by collecting
stickers on a commemorative “First 56” bottle tracker. For more information, visit
usf.edu/first56.