What is organizational culture?
Culture isn鈥檛 something written on a page鈥攊t鈥檚 something we all experience together. It鈥檚 the shared values, everyday actions, and unspoken norms that shape how we connect, collaborate, and show up for one another. It鈥檚, quite simply, the way we do things here.
Culture is what brings strategy to life. Strategy is what we are trying to accomplish and culture is the way we work together to accomplish it. When our culture is strong, people feel valued, inspired, and empowered to do their best work鈥攁nd that鈥檚 when real progress happens.
Why does culture matter?
As we look ahead to USF鈥檚 next chapter, we are being intentional not only about what we aim to achieve, but how we achieve it. President Moez Limayem has called on the university community to strengthen our culture and enable us to reach our strategic goals. This is our time to take a closer look at our culture today and work collaboratively to shape what it will become.
This ongoing, collaborative effort will invite voices from across our campuses to help shape our culture together. We aim to create an environment where people and ideas can thrive, and where USF continues to rise as a leading model metropolitan research university.
Help shape our culture
Provide your input by answering this short anonymous survey or take a moment to email us at culture@usf.edu.
Timeline of Culture Activities
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2026
Planning and Alignment
April
Collect and synthesize lessons learned from past culture initiatives.
Culture Synthesis
May - June
Draft current culture description, identify gaps and start creating a vision for aspirational culture.
Open Inquiry
July - September
Conduct open inquiry techniques.
Consensus and Refinement
September - October
Create committee to help validate data and determine near and long term initiatives.
Intervention Planning
October
Formulate a plan for development of culture through intervention initiatives.
Implementation
November
Take action to align culture with aspirations.
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2027
Continuous Improvement
Jan - Dec
The work of building a positive organizational culture at USF is ongoing. We will keep listening, learning, and adapting; leaning into what works and rethinking what doesn鈥檛 in order to maintain a supportive culture where employees can do their best work.
Meet the Team
In March of this year, President Moez Limayem launched a culture initiative by creating the Culture Analysis working group. Their charge is to take the pulse of the current USF culture, collect ideas from a wide range of stakeholders about what the future culture should be, and then help launch a series of initiatives to make positive change at USF.
Eric Eisenberg
Senior Vice President for Strategic Partnerships
Paul Spector
Distinguished Professor Emeritus
Part-time Professor School of Management
Bianca Johnson
Office Administrator
Executive Assistant to Dr. Eric Eisenberg
Office of Strategic Partnerships
Joann Farrell Quinn
Associate Dean, Division of Faculty Development
Director, Office of Ethics, Leadership, and Professionalism Associate Professor MCOM
AVP, Office of Faculty and Academic Affairs, USF Health
Aaron Nichols
Director Research and Engagement
University Communications and Marketing
Tanya Vomacka
Chief of Staff & Associate Vice Provost, Strategic Initiatives & Communication
Office of the Provost
Jessica Samaniego
Executive Project Manager
Office of the President