University President Rhea Law, 75, announced on Monday she plans to step down from her role.

Law, a USF alumna, said she will leave her position after a nationwide search is conducted and her replacement is chosen.

She said she had been considering stepping down for “quite a while” in a press conference.

There is no clear timeline for when Law’s successor will be chosen, but she said the search will start “very quickly.”

Law said she made the decision because “the foundation is in place for a new leader to take us to even greater heights.” 

Law’s contract with the university was set to end this March. It was amended in September 2024 to give her a $282,000 raise, bringing her total pay to $825,000.

“Now is the time to attract the best person who can really buy into the opportunities here and take us to that next level,” Law said in a press conference. “That’s what this is all about.”

Related: USF president Rhea Law gets $282K raise, discusses future goals 

Law mentioned recent accomplishments such as USF’s membership in the Association of American Universities (AAU), record-breaking research funding, the construction of an on-campus stadium and the creation of a new College of Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity and Computing.

When asked about politics’ role in choosing her successor, Law said she can’t control the perception of how things seem, but she said she has “total confidence” in the Board of Trustees to choose the next president.

Law said changes in higher education at the federal level, such as the possible dismantling of the Department of Education, were not a factor in her decision.

In her time as president, Law also navigated a tumultuous series of nationwide pro-Palestine protests that hit USF’s campus, and the death of USF’s men’s basketball coach. 

Law, a Tampa native, was the first USF alum to serve as university president.

She graduated from USF with her bachelor’s degree in management in 1977 and was the first in her family to attend college as well. She also graduated from Stetson University with a law degree in 1979. 

Before her tenure as university president, Law was one of the founding members of the BOT and served as both its vice chair and chair during her tenure at USF. She has been the board’s only female chair. 

She was appointed to the role of interim president in 2021 after then-president Steven Currall retired.  

Related: USF men’s basketball coach Amir Abdur-Rahim dies at 43 – The Oracle 

Law, who first served as interim president in August 2021, was officially named to the role in March 2022. Law said she only expected the interim role to last a few months to “provide stability during a time of transition.”

“I pledged to create a smooth glidepath for a new president to be well positioned for success,” Law said in a universitywide email. “What I never could have imagined is where we would be three-and-a-half years later and all that we would accomplish. Together.”

Though Law did not cite personal reasons for her resignation, Law’s husband, Wayne Williams, died in September 2024. The pair were married for 39 years and have two kids, Lisa and Gregory, and two grandchildren, Ryan and Samantha.

Related: Rhea Law’s husband, Wayne Williams, dies at the age of 84

In her announcement, Law said working as USF’s eighth president has been the “honor” of her lifetime. 

“One of the hallmarks of great leadership is knowing when it is time to create space for new ideas and fresh perspectives to build on the momentum we have created,” Law said. “I am confident in the path ahead and inspired by the potential of what is to come.” 

This article has been updated.

Additional reporting by Lily Belcher.