|| CAMPUS NEWS HOME

|| USF S-M IN THE NEWS

|| FACTS ABOUT USF S-M

|| CAMPUS EVENTS

|| RESOURCES FOR MEDIA

|| ONLINE NEWSLETTERS

|| OTHER USF SOURCES

:: Alumni Association

:: Bay Bulletin
:: Board of Trustees
:: Quick Facts
:: The Oracle (student
:: newspaper)
:: President's Office

:: USF Athletics

:: USF Magazine

:: USF Lakeland 
:: USF St. Petersburg
:: USF Tampa

:: WUSF

:: Online News Searches

USF Sarasota-Manatee’s CEO Laurey Stryker announces plans to retire from USF 

SARASOTA (May 18, 2006) – Dr. Laurey Stryker, the CEO of the University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee for almost six years, announced her retirement plans today before the USF Community Leadership Council (CLC), a campus advisory group of business and civic leaders. 

Stryker will remain in charge of the campus until January 2007, promising USF President Judy Genshaft she would ensure a smooth transition into the new campus location this fall and remain at the helm until her successor is named.         

“It will be a great challenge to find a leader as dynamic as Laurey Stryker,” Genshaft said, emphasizing that she didn’t want Stryker to leave. “She transformed USF Sarasota-Manatee into a full-fledged regional campus.” 

Stryker is retiring from the state system, but isn’t retiring from work.  “I will take some time off and explore some options,” she said. “Our legislators, Campus Board, Community Leadership Council, alumni and students became passionate about expanding USF in the region.  I am so proud of this community – the way we pulled together to build a new campus, new programs and a new presence.”  

When Stryker began her tenure in October of 2000, the campus had 19 programs and 2,000 enrolled students.  It now has 39 programs and 3,500 students as it heads to its new location, just north of its current location shared with New College and across from the Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport. The three-story, $26.5 million building will have the capacity serve over 5,000 students, and is scheduled to open this fall. 

“Once she sets a goal, she is relentless,” said Peter French, Associate Vice President and Dean of Academic Affairs for USF Sarasota-Manatee.   

“Relentless is a definition of leadership,” said Kathy Baylis, President of Sarasota County’s Economic Development Corporation (EDC).  “Her style is quiet leadership. She gently knows where the hot buttons are and knows how to build relationships and intuitively knows where to be at the right time. Before Laurey, there was no view of USF. She got out into the community so we could see her.  She made the university part of the community.”   

Stryker served as Chairman of EDC, personifying the connection between higher education and economic development.  She has also been a driving force in promoting the educational and cultural corridor, often using the phrase “Yes, we are a University Town” to rally a consortium of educational and governmental organizations located on or near North Tamiami Trail.

Jan Smith, Chairman of the Campus Board and member of the USF Board of Trustees, described Stryker as a “cohesive force,” bringing people together in a short amount of time. “It was very important to develop a Community Leadership Council that had strong people from both counties as members. By her getting both feet into both communities, she was able to establish herself as an important player in both places, which isn’t an easy thing to do. If you picture the campus as a tent, her leadership style was to bring various elements under the tent.” 

That style, plus her previous experience as a top education administrator in Tallahassee and Tampa, paid huge dividends when she convinced local legislators to support the new campus.  She also persuaded community leaders to conduct a $3.5 million fund-raising drive for enhancements, which turned into $7 million when matched by the state. “She’s a forceful, persuasive leader who doesn’t give up,” said Genshaft. “She’s focused on USF…a total advocate.”

In addition to the building, Stryker brought in additional faculty and staff to the campus, as well as a new School of Hotel and Restaurant Management. During her tenure as CEO, the number of campus employees grew from 48 to 128, including an increase in local full-time faculty from 16 to 52. The numbers will continue to grow as a result of her successful effort with legislators to bring $3.2 million more in operating dollars next year. 

Stryker forged a partnership with Manatee Community College so local students could stay here and get a seamless four-year education, spending the first two years at MCC and the second two at USF.  The South County partnership at MCC Venice brought coursework for a four-year degree to this rapidly growing area, with the help of a generous grant from the Gulf Coast Community Foundation of Venice.   

Stryker told CLC members that once the campus moves to its new location, she will have accomplished all her goals and it’s time to move on.  “I am most proud of the over 2100 graduates who crossed the stage during my tenure -- most who continue to work in the community,” Stryker said, pointing to programs in education, business, accounting, nursing, hospitality and social services, along with the Senior Academy for lifelong learners. “I feel we are now an indispensable thread woven into this community. I am grateful to everyone who helped us get there.”