A Taste of Student Life in 1960

USF opened with only three buildings: The Administration Building (currently the John and Grace Allen Building), the Chemistry Building and the University Center (where the Marshall Student Center now stands). The Life Science Building and the Auditorium didn’t arrive until the next semester in spring 1961.

Allen was a careful steward of the University’s limited financial resources and was opposed to spending money on athletics, fraternities and sororities or other aspects unrelated to academics. His philosophy was summed up in the slogan, “Accent on Learning.” Using his contacts in academia, Allen recruited a superior team of charter faculty eager to build a new institution from the ground up.

In 1960, 98 percent of students were commuters. Before Alpha Hall was completed in 1961 as the first residence hall, USF’s inaugural residents were 45 women living on the fourth floor of the University Center. Alpha Hall was co-ed, but men and women were completely separated and visitation was prohibited. Students used a metal card slot and punch cards to clock in and out. Females were required to return to their rooms by 11 p.m. on weekdays and midnight on weekends. Students needed written permission from a parent to spend the night anywhere other than the dorm. We’ve certainly come a long way since those rules, which began to phase out in 1967.

Florida Rep. Sam Gibbons writes a bill establishing a new university in Hillsborough County

John Allen becomes USF’s first president

The name “University of South Florida” is chosen for the new university

Green and gold are approved as the University’s official colors

The official seal is created, along with the motto, “Truth and Wisdom”

Students choose the Golden Brahman as the University mascot

The first edition of our student newspaper, The Oracle, is printed

The first USF basketball game is played against the University of Florida; USF wins 85-78

USF Ft. Myers is officially dedicated (in 2007, it will become Florida Gulf Coast University) John Lott Brown becomes USF’s third president

The Florida Legislature approves a new university to be built on Fowler Avenue

Florida Gov. LeRoy Collins uses a golden shovel for the groundbreaking ceremony

USF becomes the first desegregated public university in Florida on its first official day of classes

USF’s first intercollegiate game is played and won by our men’s soccer team

The first fraternities and sororities are formed on campus

USF establishes the St. Petersburg campus on Bayboro Harbor

USF is admitted to the NCAA

Cecil Mackey becomes USF’s second president, bringing a new focus on research and funding to the University

The USF medical school opens to students

USF SarasotaManatee campus founded

The Sun Dome is formally dedicated prior to USF’s basketball game against Duke

The USF basketball team competes in the NCAA tournament for the first time

USF football is established, kicking off its first NCAA season against Kentucky Wesleyan at Raymond James Stadium; USF wins 80-3

MLK Plaza is completed with a bust, reflection pool and a granite “I Have a Dream” wall

Judy Genshaft becomes the sixth president of USF

The USF men’s soccer team wins the first Big East championship in program history

The new Phyllis P. Marshall Student Center opens to the public

USF confers 100,000th degree

Francis T. Borkowski becomes the fourth president of USF

USF Lakeland opens (in 2012, it will become Florida Polytechnic University)

The University Center is rededicated to Phyllis P. Marshall, who spent 34 years promoting student life on campus

Betty Castor becomes the fifth president of USF

USF’s Marching Band, the Herd of Thunder, performs for the first time

USF football wins its first bowl game against East Carolina in the Papa John’s Bowl after just 10 seasons in existence USF SarasotaManatee holds its first day of classes on its new campus

USF’s new School of Music Building is unveiled as USF is named an All-Steinway Institution

Research grants and contracts top $400 million, making USF the 43rd largest public or private research university in the United States Enrollment tops 47,000 students; living alumni exceed 300,000

Generous gifts establish the Muma College of Business (Tampa) and Kate Tiedemann College of Business (St. Petersburg)

Gifts from Barry Collier, ’80, and his wife, Dana, establish the Collier Student Success Center; from Lynn Pippenger, MBA ’88, the Lynn Pippenger School of Accountancy; and from Jordan Zimmerman, ’80, the Zimmerman School of Advertising and Mass Communications

Keysight Technologies Lab in the College of Engineering is named for the corporate donor

In recognition of Jeff and Penny Vinik’s support, the Muma College of Business Sport & Entertainment Management Program is renamed the Vinik Sport & Entertainment Management Program

Steven Currall becomes USF’s seventh president.

A gift from Taneja Family Foundation names the USF Health Taneja College of Pharmacy, the donation is the largest philanthropic gift to a pharmacy school in the state of Florida

Global pandemic causes shift in delivery of education

USF provides $6.02 billion annual economic impact across Florida. Plans announced for on-campus football stadium to open in 2026

USF hits all-time high in U.S. News & World Report ranking. Morsani College of Medicine is fastest rising in nation.

85,000 square-foot Judy Genshaft Honors College facility opens

A gift from Lynn Pippenger, MBA ’88, establishes Lynn Pippenger Hall at USFSP and helps push the Unstoppable Campaign to more than $950 million

Unstoppable campaign exceeds $1 billion goal

USF is No. 1 in the USA for Latino student success; No. 6 for AfricanAmerican USF is named the No.1 best college for military veterans

USF is now a Preeminent State Research University as designated by the Florida Board of Governors

USF is awarded a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa Society

A transformational gift from President Judy Genshaft and her husband, Steven Greenbaum, establishes the Judy Genshaft Honors College

A gift from Monica Wooden establishes the Monica Wooden Center for Supply Chain Management & Sustainability in the Muma College of Business

USF is consolidated under a single accreditation with campuses in Tampa, St. Petersburg and SarasotaManatee

Rhea Law confirmed as USF’s eighth president.

Forbes names USF as a top employer

STATE OF FLORIDA Preeminent Research UniversiTY

In June 2018, the Florida Board of Governors formally designated USF as a Preeminent State Research University, recognizing the institution’s high performance and strong trajectory toward national excellence. Preeminence represents the culmination of USF’s many years of careful strategic planning, focused allocation of resources and determination of thousands of students, faculty and staff. The designation comes with millions of dollars in additional funding, carries prestige that benefits USF in many key areas, including new student and faculty recruitment, and enhances the economic development of the Tampa Bay region.

Birth of the Bull

Every great university also needs a mascot and even without football, USF requested one in 1962. Among the proposed ideas were the fighting desert rats, the fighting desert camels and the sting rays. Students voted and the winning name was the Buccaneers, but a junior college with an identical mascot led to its disqualification.

The Golden Brahma was the runnerup. Unfortunately, it was later pointed out that a Brahma was a type of Asian chicken, not the intended reference to Florida’s flourishing cattle industry, so administrators quickly added an “n” to make it Golden Brahman. The name stuck until the early 1980s, when students officially changed it to the USF Bulls. Today, Rocky D. Bull is the beloved mascot of the University of South Florida.