University of Tampa President Teresa Abi-Nader Dahlberg to step down after the fall 2026 term

Dated location file photo: Plant Hall at the University of Tampa in Tampa, Florida, on April 3, 2021. Photo: Alaska Miller / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0). Resized; website wordmark added. Photo source · License

University of Tampa President Teresa Abi-Nader Dahlberg is resigning for personal reasons, and the current fall 2026 term will be her last as president, the private university announced Friday, Oct. 16.

The university said Dahlberg gave advance notice under her employment contract, and that the search for a permanent president has already started.

Dahlberg's time as UTampa president

1. December 2023

   Named UTampa's 11th president

2. June 2024

   Formally takes office

3. Oct. 16, 2026

   Resignation announced

4. Fall 2026

   Final term as president

Source: wusf.org; news.utampa.edu

Who runs the university in the meantime

The university said all other leadership positions remain unchanged and that current senior executives will continue managing its day-to-day affairs.

How the next president will be found

UTampa has retained AGB, a search firm that the university says works exclusively on executive searches for higher education institutions. The university called the process to find a new, permanent president already underway.

In her statement, Dahlberg noted that the university is approaching its centennial and said she looks forward to celebrating its continued success.

A short tenure

Dahlberg was named UTampa's 11th president in December 2023, succeeding Ronald L. Vaughn, and formally took office in June 2024, according to local media. That puts her departure about two and a half years into the job.

She came to Tampa from Texas Christian University, where she was provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs and a professor of computer science and engineering. Earlier, she held teaching and administrative posts at Winthrop University, UNC Charlotte, Cooper Union and Syracuse University, local media reported.

In the university's statement, the Board of Trustees thanked Dahlberg and credited her with work to strengthen UTampa's strategic and financial foundation and to engage the community in planning for its future.