This is a sports site that emphasizes USF athletics. But college athletics, especially these days, needs strong institutional support. Without that, the chances of success and growth are greatly impacted.
So, it is appropriate to acknowledge the critical role Rhea Law played during her nearly four-year term as USF's eighth president -- along with about one year as interim president. As she prepares to leave that position at the end of this week, Bulls fans can look back on her accomplishments that helped wake up a department I always believed was a sleeping giant.
Working seamlessly with the trustee board and then-chairman Will Weatherford, Law green-lighted a stunning expansion of athletics -- adding women's lacrosse and beach volleyball, dramatically increasing funding for all 21 intercollegiate programs, and, of course, the on-campus football stadium and the 150,000 square foot TGH Center for Athletic Excellence that will be home for football operations.
@USouthFlorida is forever in your debt @USF_Pres It’s been an amazing ride with incredible results! Go Bulls 🤘🏻 https://t.co/xYOuTEh21I
— Will Weatherford (@willweatherford) February 9, 2026
They should put a statue of her outside the new stadium when it opens in 2027.
She did all this without shortchanging the academic and research side of the university.
Last year, USF passed $750 million in research money.
And on her watch in 2023, the one-time commuter college -- sometimes known as Fallback U or DriveThru U -- was invited to join the prestigious Association of American Universities. That means USF is one of the top research universities in North America.
As the trustee head, Law set the goals and parameters for the university to join this elite group. If/when USF is invited to join a power conference in athletics, the AAU designation will be a big factor. University presidents are the ones who decide on conference expansion, and academics matters more than people might think.
However, it wasn't just about building things.
A leader has to know the pulse of their school. She showed that trait when she helped guide a grief-stricken athletic department and university through the days after sudden, shocking death of basketball coach Amir Abdur-Rahim in 2025.
She helped transform USF's standing with local community leaders. She hired great people and let them do their jobs.
One of them is Rob Higgins, who a few months ago became the Bulls first CEO of Athletics. His mantra: All Gas, No Brakes.
Rob, no disrespect intended, but I think Rhea Law beat you to that. Her "let's get it done" style filtered through the entire USF community from the first day she sat in the president's chair.
That happened, in no small measure, because she is the first USF graduate to lead the school as its president -- just as Higgins is the first Bull to lead the athletic department. Having leaders with deep roots in the university and institutional memory has been a key element in the transformation we've seen.
People around here used to believe you had to be a Gator or Seminole to have any standing in Tampa Bay.
Rhea Law, the USF alum, showed them otherwise.