University Communications and Marketing
The time and date have been set for the 2023 Brunch on the Bay, the marquee fund-raising event for the University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee campus: from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 5. Co-chairing this year’s event are Lisa Krouse and Rod Hershberger, leading figures in the Sarasota-Manatee business community.
The 2023 Brunch on the Bay again will feature fine cuisine from area restaurants and caterers served on the campus courtyard, with proceeds supporting student scholarships and campus expansion initiatives.
The USF Federal Credit Union is returning as the title sponsor of the 2023 Brunch on the Bay, as part of the credit union’s pledge of $1 million in new support for scholarships, event sponsorships and other programs at USF.
“We are thrilled to have Lisa and Rod take the helm for Brunch on the Bay,” campus Regional Chancellor Karen Holbrook said. “Over the years, the event has celebrated the powerful connection between USF and the Sarasota-Manatee region that is our home. We are confident Lisa and Rod, with their backgrounds and valuable experiences in the community, will help us host another wonderful event.”
Holbrook said the campus’s connections with the community are as strong as ever, as USF works to elevate the higher education profile of the region by expanding the Sarasota-Manatee campus, both physically and academically.
Earlier this spring, architects began designing the $61.7 million Nursing/STEM building, which will be home to a myriad health, engineering and other academic programs. No construction timeline has been set for the Nursing/STEM building, which will be built on the north side of the campus courtyard. Besides Brunch on the Bay, other funding support for the new academic building is coming from the state and federal governments, as well as a planned capital campaign.
Already under construction on the south side of the courtyard is a $42 million student center and residence hall. The first-ever residence hall on the Sarasota-Manatee campus will be home for as many as 200 students when it opens for the fall 2024 semester.
“Brunch on the Bay again will provide vital student scholarships and also bolster plans for our new academic and research building, which will help in preparing students to meet community and business demands for more nurses, engineers and other professions in the talent pipeline,” Holbrook said. “We look forward to welcoming our friends and supporters to the USF Sarasota-Manatee campus so we can share with them our excitement and they can see how we are growing.”
Tickets for Brunch on the Bay will go on sale later this summer. Visit the Brunch on the Bay website for the latest updates.