Newsroom

The Future of Work at USF

Dear USF faculty and staff,

The prides itself on being agile, innovative and eager to find creative solutions to challenges. Never has this been clearer than during the past year. 

As the COVID-19 pandemic spread across the world, the USF community sprang into action to reinvent the normal ways of doing business, of teaching and learning, and of communicating and collaborating. Through technology and trust, we found a “new normal” that has brought unique challenges, but also opportunities to reimagine USF’s workplace of the future. 

Recognizing the fundamental need for in-person interaction at a major research university, USF plans a safe return to pre-COVID operations, classes and activities starting in Summer B on June 28. An academic and research enterprise comes to life when we bring creative minds together, facilitating serendipitous moments of connection that happen with physical proximity. With this in mind, many of us will return fully to campus, either due to the nature of individual job duties or personal preferences. 

At the same time, there have been many lessons learned over the past year. Many of our employees have thrived with the flexibility provided by remote work. Some essential student and employee services should continue to be offered virtually, as a complement to in-person services. We also acknowledge that the global marketplace for talent is evolving toward flexible work, creating more competition for top performers who can help us reach our aspirations for Top 25 U.S. News and World Report rankings and AAU eligibility.

Moving forward, and guided by our Principles of Community, supervisors are encouraged to work with USF Human Resources to design work structures that enable performance and accountability for employees while allowing for flexibility, as desired and appropriate.

In the coming weeks, USF HR will be working with campus partners to evaluate job functions to determine which types of roles may be best suited for more flexible work. In cases where remote or hybrid work is deemed appropriate, supervisors should work with HR to ensure appropriate equity within and between teams.

As a first step, USF HR has designed a series of toolkits, policies and training materials to begin the dialogue between supervisors and employees. These conversations should be guided by questions such as: “How much in-person work is necessary for me to do my job most effectively?”, “How can I perform at home while meeting expectations as well as or better than in person?”, “How will I maintain critical connections to my team and campus partners?”, “How can our team best utilize our physical space to enable shared workspaces or multi-use offices?” and  “What unique work design is best for USF, me and my team?”

All work location decisions are subject to review and approval by unit vice presidents and regional chancellors or their designees. In addition, all plans are subject to change based on evolving circumstances. 

Please review the following resources for more information and support:

  • Employee Guide to Flexible Work: 
  • Creating a Hybrid Workplace: 
  • Flexible Work Assessment for Employees: 
  • Flexible Work Assessment for Supervisors: 
  • Flexible Work Arrangements Policy:

As with any new endeavor, we will continue to evolve, reflect and learn along the way. With your continued engagement, commitment and trust, we will create the future of USF together.

Thank you for everything you do for USF.

Sincerely,

President Currall and members of the President’s Cabinet:

Keith Anderson, Interim Vice President for Research, Innovation & Knowledge Enterprise

Kiki Caruson, Interim Vice President of USF World

Paul Dosal, Vice President of Student Success

Christopher G. Duffy, Interim Vice President for Administrative Services

Sidney Fernandes, Vice President of Information Technology and Chief Information Officer

Kim Hill, Interim Vice President of University Communications and Marketing

Karen A. Holbrook, Regional Chancellor of Sarasota-Manatee Campus

Elizabeth Hordge-Freeman, Interim Vice President for Institutional Equity and Senior Advisor to the President and Provost for Diversity and Inclusion

Michael Kelly, Vice President of Intercollegiate Athletics

David Lechner, Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer

Charles Lockwood, MD, Senior Vice President of USF Health

Angie Sklenka, Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer

Gerard D. Solis, General Counsel

Jay Stroman, Senior Vice President of Advancement and Alumni Affairs

Martin Tadlock, Regional Chancellor of St. Petersburg Campus

Brian Ten Eyck, Vice President for Executive Affairs and Chief of Staff

Nick Trivunovich, Vice President of Business & Finance and Chief Financial Officer

Mark Walsh, Vice President for Government Relations

Ralph Wilcox, Provost and Executive Vice President

Return to article listing

USF in the News

December 11, 2024

December 10, 2024

December 9, 2024

December 7, 2024

More USF in the News

News Archive

Learn more about USF's journey to Preeminence by viewing Newsroom articles from past years.