50 TAMPA BAY MAGAZINE | MAY/JUNE 2020
how they approach their work. Whether they are talking to
a high-level member of the board of trustees or an incoming
freshman student, their style is the same, with an easygoing,
conversational vibe that puts whoever they are talking to
at ease. But when you watch the university president in
action, don’t mistake his demeanor for a lack of intensity,
Renée said. “He has a great poker face, and always appears
to be calm,” she said, which of course comes in handy in
challenging times.
It’s clear that his approach works: New buildings on the
UT campus open on time. His meetings with UT staff get
to the point quickly, always tied to tangible goals. And he
is constantly helping the university’s leaders recruit more
talent, both for academics and for operations. And every
step of the way, he is driving for excellence.
“Ron has this accelerator principle, and he wants the
university to get better every year,” West said. “He is always
learning, always growing, always raising the bar. When Ron
retires, I don’t think they’ll be able to replace him with one
person, that’s for sure.” 9
EDITOR’S NOTE: This article was written by Kyle Parks, principal
and co-founder of B2 Communications, a public relations agency
that has worked with The University of Tampa on communications
initiatives. B2, based in St. Petersburg, helps companies and
nonprofits communicate clearly, concisely and powerfully. Kyle
can be reached at kyle@B2communications.com.
Ronald Vaughn’s Viewpoint
Q: When you look back at your tenure as UT’s
president so far, what makes you the most proud?
“With the help of many people, we effected a dramatic
turnaround from UT’s dire circumstances of 25 years ago, but
the transformation from a small University to become the great
University of today is particularly satisfying. I’m proud that UT is
now positioned as a larger comprehensive, residentially based
metropolitan university that is in the top 80 of all independents
with about 10,000 students. We now offer a high-quality
education that is rich in its educational dimensionality at a
very good value relative to most independents. Our academic
program offerings have greatly expanded, with now over
200 programs of study. We also have a plethora of rankings,
recognitions and accreditations that attest to UT’s quality and
many unique characteristics.”
Q: What are your priorities for the next several
years at UT?
“People and businesses everywhere are facing one of the
greatest challenges in history, COVID-19. Almost every
business is impacted and threatened, including independent
universities. Dealing with this threat is our top priority. Looking
beyond the present challenge, our priorities for the next
few years are to continue our development of high-quality
academic programs, further enriching our co-curricular
learning environment, including enhancing of student life and
job skills, completion of exciting new construction projects that
will further transform our campus and magnifying our impact on
the community.”
Q: Are there any tips for success that you’d offer
other university presidents who want to succeed
long-term in their positions?
“When people ask how we’ve accomplished so much, I
normally say that we developed and continue to adhere to a
culture of constant improvement. As I advise individuals and
organizations, you’re either getting better or worse, there is
no in between. We have focused every year on getting better
in many ways. In today’s world of constant challenge and
change, you must constantly get better to just compete and
if you aspire to even more, then you must further accelerate
the pace and dimensionality of your improvements. We have
focused on rapid and continuous UT improvement. Of course,
you must also develop a strong team. We had many good
people involved with UT years ago, but today there are even
more talented and dedicated people at UT. I thank all the faculty,
staff, trustees, advisory groups, alums and donors as they have
all been part of our success story. I’ll end by saying, my wife
Renée is an amazing first lady to The University of Tampa. She
is as committed to UT as I am, she loves and tirelessly mentors
our students, she fully engages in the life of the University and is
engaged widely in the community. She is a community leader
in her own right and any president would be lucky to have
someone like her as their partner.”
Opened in 2018, the 91,000-square-foot Graduate
and Health Studies Building houses UT’s programs
in nursing and physician assistant medicine, as well
as UT’s Office of Graduate and Continuing Studies,
classrooms, health science labs, a physics research lab,
student gathering and study spaces and faculty offices.