Economic forecast 2019: Education

Entity: The only constant is change, but you could argue the University of South Florida experienced more than its fair share — both good and bad — in 2019. USF’s rollout of a divisive new logo in autumn 2018 was met with such resistance from alumni and students that eventually, earlier this year, the institution decided to scrap the lime-green and Merrill Lynch-esque design altogether and return to its classic “Bull U” mark.

Also, in July, longtime President Judy Genshaft, who’d led the institution for nearly two decades, retired. She was succeeded by Steve Currall, who is overseeing the plan to consolidate the financial administration and academics of USF’s three campuses in Tampa, St. Petersburg and Sarasota-Manatee — a plan also met with controversy. In the good news department: the Florida Board of Governors’ designation of USF as a “preeminent” state research university, alongside University of Florida and Florida State University, was a huge positive that'd led to $6.15 million in additional funding.