Ask Vaughn about the secrets to his success at UT, and
he will tell you it’s about the people around him. He has
long had a group of highly committed, knowledgeable
operations and academic leaders in senior positions
who have stayed at the university for the long term.
“When Dr. Vaughn took over as president, he knew
what he needed to do,” Devine said. “I saw him tick off
his short list of overall priorities time after time. He never
wavered from that. And he was laser-focused on getting
the best people. Hire the best admissions professional.
Get a great athletic director. Bring in top-notch finance
people who understand how nonprofits work.”
As he got the university back on solid ground in the
‘90s, Vaughn quickly started a drive to improve UT’s
campus facilities – a key in creating a distinctive campus
that would attract quality students and faculty. Over the
years, working with Tampa business leaders like John
Sykes, Al Austin, Frank Morsani, James Ferman, Vince
Naimoli, Rick Thomas, David Straz, Gene McNichols
and Steve Dickey, he and UT’s Development team
have successfully done two major capital campaigns,
raising hundreds of millions of dollars to construct
46 TAMPA BAY MAGAZINE | MAY/JUNE 2020
the new buildings that have transformed the campus.
The buildings range from residence halls to academic
facilities to the Sykes Chapel and Center for Faith and
Values, an anchor for the campus that reflects Vaughn’s
desire to have the university think about each student’s
entire well-being.
Managing the growth soon turned into a challenge in
itself, as Vaughn and his operations leaders had to make
sure that construction didn’t disrupt campus life and
that the schedule for new buildings was appropriately
aggressive without getting ahead of the university’s
fundraising capabilities. Every step of the way, he has
tracked details both large and small.
“He’s involved in everything,” West said. “But he
knows how to lead while giving bite-sized pieces of his
vision, so no one gets overwhelmed. It’s pretty amazing.
It’s like he’s playing three-dimensional chess while
everyone else is playing checkers.”
As the turnaround took hold, tuition revenues grew
dramatically, and that, combined with more support from
companies and individual philanthropists, dramatically
improved the university’s financial position. When
JULIETA CERVANTES
Plant Hall, formerly the Tampa Bay Hotel, is a city landmark and the foundation
of UT’s historic and modern campus.