From the Association

My fellow Bulls,

Is spring the new fall? The extended run of crisp weather this year accompanied a March and April packed with events that drew thousands of students and alumni. Our busy calendar had all the buzz and excitement of a new school year.  

We roared into March with about 600 alumni and friends at the sold-out seventh annual USF Alumni Association Green & Gold Gala, held for the first time at The Motor Enclave in Tampa. I heard from many of you that you loved this nontraditional and more intimate venue, which made it easy to connect with old friends. Duly noted for future reference!

Also in March, we cheered ourselves hoarse at the annual Life Member Appreciation Baseball Game, and less than two weeks later, celebrated our six 2025 USF Outstanding Young Alumni. We’ll be sharing more about these amazing Bulls in the fall issue of USF magazine but in the meantime, if you missed the April 10 awards event, please give the recipients a big Horns Up. They deserve it! Pictured above, left to right: me; Veronica “Ronnie” Gajownik, ’15; Stefania Alastre Arcusa, ’17 and MSPH ’21; Ashley Washington Julmis, ’11, Life Member; Shelly Marc, ’13, Life Member; Hiram J. Ríos Hernández, ’15; and Bailee W. Olliff, ’12 and MD ’16.

A few days later, we hit the links for our sold-out Birdies for Bulls Golf Tournament. Check the highlights reel at usf.to/BirdiesForBulls2025. 

Alumni Association student group members also stayed busy, traveling to Tallahassee for USF Day at the Capitol, honoring their mentors at the Apple Polishing Awards, attending our Class Ring Ceremony and learning leadership skills at Ambassador Academy, to name a few of our many student engagement activities.

And that was just March and April! In January and February, a record 325 alumni and USF friends rolled up their sleeves and gave 997 volunteer hours to 36 charitable projects in 19 cities across the country for Stampede of Service. Our ever-growing network of alumni chapters and societies makes it easy to make a difference, and I’m proud of how enthusiastically Bulls respond to this annual observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

All that activity led to our most important USF event — commencement. This month, we welcomed approximately 5,000 new graduates to our alumni family, bringing our powerful, global Bulls network to 394,000 strong. As we grow, your Alumni Association continues to seek new opportunities to help you stay connected to USF, to enjoy the company of people with whom you share a bond, and to support our alma mater, fellow alumni and the students following in your footsteps. 

This magazine is one of the ways we help you stay in touch, and your opinions guide its content. You will soon receive an email survey asking what you’d like to see more or less of, what you’d add, remove or change. I hope you’ll respond! Your opinions over the past 20-plus years have significantly improved the publication you hold (or are reading online) today.

Thank you for being a bold, proud Bull. Your love for USF continues to elevate our great university. 

I look forward to spring redux in the fall — mark your calendar for Homecoming, Oct. 12-18!

Bill McCausland, MBA ’96
Vice President and Executive Director,
USF Alumni Association
Life Member #2331