While University of South Florida is a $2 billion educational institution, some view it as a company — and have chosen a man who is familiar with business.
Steve Currall (yes, "The Office" references have been made) was chosen at USF's presidential-elect on March 22 with an official approval awaiting from the Board of Governors on March 28. He is most currently the former provost for Southern Methodist University in Dallas but has spent his entire career pushing for more innovation and entrepreneurship at each of the institutions he was at.
"In 1997, I read an article in Fortune Magazine about the development of Silicon Valley and it changed my career direction," Currall said. "I was fascinated with capital and angel investing in northern California, but was really fascinated with the role of the university creating new jobs — high-value, high-paying jobs. I had not really conceived [of] the university as a job creator before."
Shortly after, Currall started the Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship at Rice University, while holding a professorship there. That center went on to create 161 tech companies and raise $300 million in equity capital.
Some other innovative highlights:
• He went on to become the founding chair of the Department of Management Science and Innovation in the Faculty of Engineering Sciences at the University College London.
• Moved on to University of California Davis, serving as the dean of the Graduate School of Management and brought the school to the highest MBA program ranking in its history.
• Also at UC Davis, he led a $5 million fundraising campaign to found the New Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship.
• At his most recent position at SMU, he oversaw and held a professor position at the Cox School of Business.
• He has also written a book titled "Organized Innovation," which focuses on creating a framework of prime conditions for commercializing technology breakthroughs
"I've been pleased to help make the university an engine of economic development in the city and would love to enhance the already great job USF is doing," Currall said to USF's Board of Trustees. "You do an amazing job with patents, investment disclosure, spinouts. My hope is USF can be to Tampa Bay what Stanford can be to Silicon Valley."
