Chancellor Karen Holbrook Reflects on USF’s First Year in the AAU

May 31, 2024 | Sarasota

USF Sarasota-Manatee Regional Chancellor Karen Holbrook knows the Association of American Universities well.

Very well.

Five members of the prestigious AAU, whose members include the top 3 percent of research universities in the U.S. and Canada and which USF was invited to join last year, hold prominent spots on her curriculum vitae:

• The University of Wisconsin in Madison (an AAU member since 1900), where Holbrook earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in zoology.
• The University of Washington School of Medicine (AAU since 1950), where she earned her doctorate in biological structure served as a postdoctoral fellow in dermatology, faculty member and research administrator.
• The University of Florida (AAU since 1985), where she was vice president for research and dean of the graduate school.
• The Ohio State University (AAU since 1916), where she was president.
• And University of South Florida, where she has held several positions, including as regional chancellor at USF Sarasota-Manatee since 2018.

It’s an impressive resume not only because of the schools’ AAU membership, Holbrook said.

“They are outstanding universities with faculty doing groundbreaking research in various fields, with commitments to serving the local, national and global communities, and graduates who have gone on to make a real difference the world. AAU membership didn’t make those universities ‘great,’ but it is a recognition of the excellence they have achieved with their research and their scholarship.”

That is why USF’s admission to the AAU was so satisfying and thrilling, Holbrook said.

“We are in incredible company, and USF joining the AAU made our university even more impressive. USF belongs in the AAU. We have arrived, and AAU membership, along with the great research and student success we will continue to achieve at Sarasota-Manatee and other campuses, will give us the boost to rise to the next level and beyond.”

Prospective new faculty members are noticing.

“The AAU membership was indeed a significant factor in making USF a more attractive option for me,” said Tingting Zhang, who is joining the School of Hospitality and Tourism Management at USF Sarasota-Manatee as a tenured associate professor, after eight years at the University of Central Florida.

“As a faculty member, this affiliation means that research and grant efforts are significantly valued and supported. It aligns perfectly with my career goals, allowing me to further develop my skills and focus on innovative research,” said Zhang who earned her Ph.D. in consumer sciences at Ohio State.

Laura Curran, who is coming to USF from Tulane University (AAU since 1958), where she was a postdoctoral research fellow, will join the Department of Mental Health Law & Policy at the Sarasota-Manatee campus in the fall. Curran said she was familiar with the high quality of USF’s scholarship, research and teaching, as well as the mentorship she had received by “incredible USF faculty over the years.”

Curran, who earned her master’s degree in counselor education at USF and her Ph.D. in social work at New York University (AAU since 1950), said it was clear during her interview and visit to the Sarasota-Manatee campus that being in the AAU was a point of pride.

“This played a role in my decision to accept a faculty position here, not only because I wanted to work for a university that was striving for excellence and prestigious standing in the research world, but also because I could tell how proud other faculty were in their university,” Curran said. “Since I knew that such a passionate and visionary research community is not something you see every day, I wanted to be a part of it.”

Holbrook said the AAU’s imprimatur rewarded USF and its leadership for their relentless pursuit of academic excellence and innovation through investments, hard work and bold risk-taking over the past 20 years.

“But it is not just our honor, it belongs to the communities we serve, including here in Sarasota-Manatee where we are the only higher education institution with the resources and ability to bring from all three campuses so much knowledge and experience to address the most pressing challenges, like economic and workforce development, health care and cybersecurity. Our research and other academic work, some of which is with the support of our donors, is making an impact every day in our community, from our public elementary and middle schools to industries like hospitality, information technology, and risk management and insurance.”

One of the youngest members of the organization, USF was invited to join the AAU one year ago because of everything it already had achieved and the organization’s confidence that it would continue to prosper, Holbrook said.

“AAU membership affirms our hard work and USF’s commitment to research, and how we are planning to grow our research, including on the Sarasota-Manatee campus, in various fields like engineering, cybersecurity and the life and health sciences, as well as our highly regarded academic programs and national and international recognition,” Holbrook said. “It is a powerful validation.”

To view the online version of this story on the USF Sarasota-Manatee website, click here.