June 24, 2025
By Dave Scheiber 

Behind the plaque naming the dean’s suite and atrium at the USF Health Taneja College of Pharmacy’s stunning new home in downtown Tampa lies a decades-old story. It starts with an anonymous $1 million donation and helps explain the special fondness President Emerita Judy Genshaft feels for the college. 

Genshaft and husband Steven Greenbaum’s recent $250,000 gift — which named the Dr. Judy Genshaft & Mr. Steven Greenbaum Dean’s Suite & Atrium — makes possible an array of cutting-edge features for both high-profile areas of the college.

“I think the dean’s suite and atrium really appealed to us because it’s a high-traffic area with many people interacting and collaborating,” said Genshaft. “And these areas are all about leadership. So, this is a matter of supporting leadership for pharmacy.”

The dean’s suite is a dynamic, welcoming space designed to engage pharmacy industry leaders, host advisory board meetings and elevate the experience of prospective students, faculty and staff. It features vibrant colors, bold textures and modern technology, intended to create a professional, inviting environment that reflects the innovation and forward-thinking spirit of the college.

The expansive atrium, adjacent to the dean’s suite, serves as a central hub that seamlessly connect the student classroom, guest reception and flexible event spaces. Its strategic location welcomes visitors, fosters student interaction and provides an engaging setting for special events.

The look of each high-profile area was created by the Gresham Smith design firm — responsible for the aesthetics of the entire 35,000-square-foot home for the Taneja College of Pharmacy. According to its website, the firm strived to design a “forward-thinking space that embodies the future of pharmaceutical education … (and) strengthens recruitment, fosters advanced learning and empowers the next generation of pharmacy professionals to shape the future of health care.” 

“We’ve always looked at ways to support areas of excellence around the university and we think we can make a difference in helping improve them,” said Greenbaum. “During Judy’s presidency, it was always about playing to our strengths. USF was initially founded with a focus as a medical campus, a health university — even the James A. Haley Veterans’ Hospital opened around the same time, giving our students a place to train and learn. So, in looking for areas of excellence around the university, pharmacy was a no-brainer.”

The Genshaft-Greenbaum gift will highlight the college’s innovative spirit, said Charles J. Lockwood, MD, MHCM, executive vice president of USF Health and dean of the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine.
 
“We are so grateful to Judy and Steve for this generous gift to the USF Health Taneja College of Pharmacy,” said Dr. Lockwood. “It is especially meaningful for us to benefit from President Emerita Genshaft’s ongoing support of this college, given that she was there at the beginning to help realize the vision for a College of Pharmacy that would be at the leading edge of pharmacy education.”

Genshaft’s support of the college has deep and meaningful roots. In 2003, barely three years into Genshaft’s two decades at the USF helm, an envelope arrived in her office containing an anonymous donation of $1 million. 

Accompanying the unexpected gift was a note explaining the money was only being sent to several female university presidents and the gift could be used how the recipients best saw fit.

“All I know is that I was to use it at my discretion as president,” Genshaft said.

After meeting with then-USF Health faculty member Kevin Sneed, PharmD, who had been envisioning a pharmacy college for USF, Genshaft decided the best use of the gift. 

“Kevin kept telling me that a pharmacy college was the way to go,” she said, “and I thought, ‘OK, this is the time to do it.’ It made sense to me because it built on our strengths.”

The gift helped pave the way for what is today the acclaimed Taneja College of Pharmacy. It was named in 2019 when the Taneja family made a $10 million gift to support the college, which moved last summer from its home on the Tampa campus to the waterfront USF Health Downtown building. Genshaft and Greenbaum already have a history of support in that particular building, having donated $1 million in 2018 to name its student center. 

It seems only fitting now that a new pharmacy gift would come from original pharmacy supporter Genshaft, who, with Greenbaum, has made major philanthropic contributions to USF over the years, including the state-of-the-art Judy Genshaft Honors College building that opened in 2023.

“I always go back to what Frank Morsani said — the first years of your life are to learn, then you earn and finally you return,” Genshaft said. “It doesn’t have to be through money. It can be through volunteer work or other ways. But you should be passionate and caring about what it is you want to give to, and make sure that what you’ve done is done well.”