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Lucy Marques - Higher Education Reporter
Lucy Marques

Higher Education Reporter

Hi there, I’m Lucy! I cover higher education for the Tampa Bay Times in partnership with Open Campus. I grew up in Chapel Hill, North Carolina and moved 10 minutes down the road to graduate from UNC with degrees in political science and Spanish. My favorite stories to write are person-focused narratives that help explain broader trends or policy impacts. When I’m not working, I love to read novels, try new recipes and find thrift stores I’ve never been to. Feel free to reach out with story ideas or recommendations for the best chai lattes in St. Pete.

  1. DeSantis wants New College to take over the USF Sarasota-Manatee campus. Could that happen?
    • The Education Gradebook
    A recent Gov. Ron DeSantis budget proposal asks that the University of South Florida's Sarasota-Manatee campus is transferred to New College of Florida.
  2. Florida confirms Moez Limayem as USF president
    • The Education Gradebook
    Moez Limayem was confirmed by the Florida Board of Governors on Dec. 12 in a Zoom meeting.
  3. USF president-elect Moez Limayem could make over $2M his first year
    • The Education Gradebook
    Moez Limayem attends a meeting of USF’s Board of Trustees on Oct. 21 in Tampa. After the board voted to name him the school's next president, Limayem will go before the state's Board of Governors this Friday for a final confirmation vote.
  5. UF’s Donald Landry introduces policy to limit university leaders’ speech on social issues
    • The Education Gradebook
    Undated portrait of the University of Florida Interim President Donald Landry.
  6. UF relaunching search for permanent president this week
    • The Education Gradebook
    Donald Landry, chair of the department of medicine at Columbia University, was tapped to be interim president of the University of Florida.
  7. How college campus organizing has been upended in Florida’s political climate
    • The Education Gradebook
    University of South Florida senior Evan Reev, 21, center, joins classmates in applause while attending a meeting of USF’s Turning Point USA chapter, where James Fishback, a conservative investor and Republican gubernatorial candidate, spoke at the Marshall Student Center Oct. 6.
  8. Judge rules UF must reinstate law student expelled over antisemitic post
    • The Education Gradebook
    The University of Florida must reinstate a Levin College of Law student expelled for antisemitic views, according to a federal judge's preliminary injunction.
  9. Manny Diaz Jr. selected as sole finalist in UWF’s presidential search
    • The Education Gradebook
    Manny Diaz Jr. is set to continue his tenure at the University of West Florida. He was named the sole finalist in their presidential search.
  10. Police charge 2 after Muslim students harassed on USF’s Tampa campus
    • The Education Gradebook
    USF Muslim Student Association President Malak Albustami speaks at a news conference at the Islamic Society of Tampa Bay Area on Friday in response to an episode on campus in which a group of praying Muslim students was harassed.
  11. UF Hamilton School secures $5.5 million gift from Florida billionaire
    • The Education Gradebook
    The University of Florida on Tuesday, May 6, 2025, in Gainesville.
  12. Florida Supreme Court justice steps down to be next director at UF’s Hamilton School
    • The Education Gradebook
    Florida Supreme Court Justice Charles T. Canady announced Monday that he is stepping down to serve as the director of the University of Florida's Hamilton School for Classical and Civic Education.
  13. USF is planning a big development, and environmentalists have concerns
    • The Education Gradebook
    The Florida Board of Governors voted to approve the University of South Florida’s proposed mixed-use Fletcher District at a meeting in Tampa on Thursday, Nov. 6, 2025. The plan would convert the university’s old Claw golf course, seen here on Nov. 12, 2025, into housing, a hotel, conference center, retail, green spaces and the academic building. The old course sits directly beside a 600-acre forest preserve, which has caused concern among students, environmentalists and nearby residents who say developing the land would harm native wildlife and increase pollution woes.
  14. USF, graduate assistants still face gap in salary negotiations
    • The Education Gradebook
    The University of South Florida's graduate student union, Graduate Assistants United, meets with the university's negotiating team on Tuesday for a bargaining session.
  15. Florida’s campus DOGE report questions spending at New College
    • The Education Gradebook
    New College of Florida president Richard Corcoran stepped in to the presidency two years ago. While the university's commitment to civil discourse has become a point of pride for state leaders, its spending often make headlines.
  16. State’s vote on USF president-elect pushed to January
    • The Education Gradebook
    Moez Limayem was approved to become president by the University of South Florida trustees in October. The Board of Governors will not be voting on his confirmation at their meeting this week.
  17. DeSantis calls for crackdown on H-1B visa holders at Florida universities
    • The Education Gradebook
    Gov. Ron DeSantis announced at a news conference that he's instructing the Board of Governors to restrict H-1B visas at Florida universities.
  18. New College of Florida may be first to sign Trump’s university pledge
    • The Education Gradebook
    New College of Florida President Richard Corcoran said in a statement that New College is committed to the ideals in President Donald Trump's higher education compact.
  19. USF may soon get a new president. Here are 4 challenges he’ll face.
    • The Education Gradebook
    Moez Limayem will need to tackle issues like faculty discontent and free speech at USF if he's confirmed by the Board of Governors in early November.
  20. Moez Limayem approved as next USF president after trustee vote
    • The Education Gradebook
    Moez Limayem attends a University of South Florida board of trustees meeting, where he was approved as the school's next president, on Tuesday in Tampa. The board authorized Chairperson Will Weatherford to negotiate a contract with Limayem, which must not exceed $2.4 million in total annual compensation and must include bonus performance incentives. In addition, all compensation over $200,000 must come from private resources.
  21. A stadium or a school? How a new Rays park would upend Hillsborough College
    • News
    Students walk across Hillsborough College's Dale Mabry campus in Tampa on Oct. 8. The campus, located beside Raymond James Stadium and George M. Steinbrenner Field, is one of a few locations being considered for a new Tampa Bay Rays stadium. It’s also the largest of the college’s five campuses across the Tampa Bay region.
  22. USF’s presidential candidate talks free speech, funding in faculty forums
    • The Education Gradebook
    MBA Mar 2020
  23. USF St. Petersburg regional chancellor named president of Texas university
    • The Education Gradebook
    USF St Pete
  24. Rays owners want ’100-plus’ acres for stadium site. Where could it go?
    • Rays
    Hillsborough College's Dale Mabry Campus, at 4001 W. Tampa Bay Blvd., is nestled beside Raymond James Stadium and George M. Steinbrenner Field. The 108-acre site — which could grow to around 125 acres with the addition of extra land — is a possible location for the Tampa Bay Rays' new stadium.