A Letter from the Dean
At the USF College of Nursing, we’re boldly expanding our programs, facilities, and enrollment with a singular purpose: to shape the future of healthcare, one Bull Nurse at a time. Our students aren’t just learning— they’re leading. Through immersive simulations, evidence-based clinical experiences, and global health engagement, they become agile, compassionate problemsolvers who meet patients where they are—whether in local clinics or across continents.
In 2024, we celebrated a landmark achievement: graduating the largest cohort of aspiring registered nurses in Florida. And we’re just getting started. With nearly 2,000 students across our Tampa, St. Petersburg, and Sarasota-Manatee campuses, we’re growing rapidly to meet the urgent call for skilled, visionary nurses. Our momentum continues. For the fourth year in a row, our MSN program has earned the No. 1 ranking among Florida’s public
universities and climbed to No. 23 nationally in U.S. News & World Report rankings, solidifying our place among the nation’s top graduate nursing programs.
Every milestone reflects the passion and commitment of our students, faculty, staff, and community partners. Thank you for being an essential part of this journey. Together, we’re not just advancing nursing—we’re transforming lives.
Go Bulls!
Usha Menon, PhD, RN, FAAN, FSBM
Dean and Distinguished University Health Professor, USF College of Nursing
Senior Associate Vice President, USF Health
Associate Director, Community Outreach & Engagement, TGH Cancer Institute
Expanded academic offerings: Launched the new PsychiatricMental Health Nurse Practitioner program to meet the growing demand for mental health professionals and expand advanced practice opportunities for our students
Global learning opportunities: Established a new undergraduate study abroad partnership with the University of Chester in England, enhancing global engagement and providing students with valuable international healthcare experiences
Invested in excellence: Welcomed 15 new faculty members across disciplines, strengthening our academic foundation and supporting continued growth in teaching, research, and clinical practice
IN THE NATION
MASTER OF SCIENCE IN NURSING PROGRAM
RANKED #1 AMONG FLORIDA’S PUBLIC UNIVERSITIES
RANKED #23 IN THE NATION
ACCORDING TO U.S. NEWS & WORLD REPORT 2025
262
436 Graduate degrees awarded Undergraduate degrees awarded NCLEX pass rate 97%
Leading producer of advanced practice nurses in the state
Pictured left:
247 nursing students were pinned in Spring 2025, the largest undergradute class in college history.
The Sleep and Health Innovations in Neurobehavioral (SHINE) Science Center is a transdisciplinary center of excellence in patient-centered research, education, practice, and clinical scholarship housed in the College of Nursing. SHINE has a special focus on sleep and its impact on health and performance in healthy populations, military families, dementia caregivers, and individuals with a range of sleep disorders and related chronic comorbid conditions, including autism, chronic pain, mild cognitive impairment, obesity, generalized anxiety disorder, and dementia.
Launched the SHINE Science Center
Launched the Biostatistics Core
Recruited four new research faculty Awards received 40 Invitations to national grant review panels 9
The Mo-Bull Nurse Medical Clinic
The Mo -Bull Nurse Medical Clinic is a mobile, nurse-run, primary care unit launched by the USF Health College of Nursing via a four-year grant from the HRSA. Its mission: to bring accessible care directly to underserved neighborhoods across Tampa Bay while simultaneously serving as a high-impact learning site for nursing students.
Mo-Bull Impact
July 2023 to March 2025
136 Life-Years served
397 ED visits avoided
Over $9.7 Million Returned
Top 3 Health Conditions Among Adults
Type 2 diabetes
Hypertension
Depression
215 Students trained 1,907 Patient visits
* Harvard Mobile Health Map dashboard
Top 3 Health-Related Social Needs
Housing situation
Financial assistance
Mental health assistance
“To know that the Mo-Bull Clinic comes here to help without judgment means so much. I never feel like a homeless woman—I just feel like me. There’s a unique sense of safety and dignity here that I can’t find anywhere else.”
- Mo-Bull Nurse Medical Clinic patient
Nursing Expansion
State lawmakers, university leaders, faculty, staff, students, and community partners gathered to celebrate the raising of the final beam for the new Tampa General Hospital (TGH) Nursing Simulation Center at the USF College of Nursing on the Tampa campus.
“What began as a site of debris and dirt has since evolved into three stories of steel beams—the physical foundation of the bold next chapter for the nursing at USF.”
- Dean Usha Menon
The new TGH Nursing Simulation Center is a 34,000-square-foot facility that will feature modern clinical spaces, flexible learning labs, and a cutting-edge simulation center. This center will allow USF to increase undergraduate nursing enrollment on the Tampa campus to 500 students by 2028, reinforcing the university’s leadership in meeting the state’s growing demand for qualified nurses.
In Spring 2025, the college graduated a record 247 prelicensure undergraduate nurses—a nearly 45% increase since 2023—marking major progress in addressing Florida’s nursing shortage. health.usf.edu/nursing/nursing-expansion
Scholarship Impact Named scholarships Scholarship awards In scholarships 60 220 $886,000
Peer-to-Peer Tutoring
Student profiles 1,355 Hours of tutoring 49,000 Courses covered 27
LINE Funding
The Florida Legislature created the Linking Industry to Nursing Education (LINE) initiative—a competitive grant program designed to strengthen partnerships between nursing education programs and health care organizations. By offering a dollar-for-dollar match, LINE incentivizes collaboration to address the critical nursing shortage across the state.
At the USF College of Nursing, we use LINE funding to directly support our students—covering unmet financial needs, early licensure and certification application costs, enhanced clinical training opportunities, and personalized student success coaching.
Our valued LINE partners for FY25 include Empath Health, Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital, Orlando Health Bayfront Hospital, and Tampa General Hospital.
FY25 total match $1,276,632
USF and Pepin Family Foundation Introduce Local Teens to Nursing
For the third consecutive year, we teamed up with the Pepin Family Foundation to provide local high school students with first-hand nursing experience.
The Pepin Family USF Nursing Pathway Summer Program is the only nursing-based pathway program of its kind that the Pepin Family supports, according to Pepin Family Foundation Executive Director Tina Pepin.
50 rising sophomores and juniors from high schools in Hillsborough, Pasco, and Pinellas counties spent a week at USF learning from faculty, developing life-saving skills, and even earning a certificate in CPR.
The Florida Center for Nursing Fights Florida’s Nursing Shortage While Calling USF “Home”
The Florida Center for Nursing researches and addresses supply and demand for nursing, including issues of recruitment, retention, and utilization of nursing workforce resources.
For the third year, the FCN called USF “home” while working to ensure that the health care needs of the residents and visitors of Florida are met by a competent and sufficient nursing workforce.
Both organizations continue to work side-byside in statewide efforts to impact the future of Florida’s health care system.
For more information about FCN work in 2024, visit https://flcenterfornursing.org
Alumni in the Community
The College of Nursing has awarded 17,734 degrees to its 15,415 alumni many of whom have decided to pursue their careers in Tampa Bay—doing their part to improve health care for people from all walks of life.
Have something exciting to share? Tell us about your Bull Nurse success!
Scan the QR code or visit bit.ly/nursing-alumni-story.
