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    <title>local &amp;mdash; Mitchell Report</title>
    <link>https://michaelmitchell.blog/tag:local</link>
    <description>A personal blog for Michael Mitchell</description>
    <pubDate>Sat, 13 Jun 2026 03:57:03 +0000</pubDate>
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      <title>USF Turns 70</title>
      <link>https://michaelmitchell.blog/usf-turns-70?pk_campaign=rss-feed</link>
      <description>&lt;![CDATA[A watercolor painting depicts a serene rural scene with a blue car driving down a two-lane road toward a small town in the distance. The road curves gently to the left, flanked by grassy fields and scattered bushes. On the left side, there is a utility pole and a streetlamp near a red-roofed building partially visible. In the background, a prominent clock tower with a pointed roof stands among other historic buildings, including one with a large dome and columns. To the right, a modern glass building and a few bicycles parked near trees are visible. The sky is bright with soft, fluffy clouds and a few birds flying. Two people walk along a path near the town, adding a peaceful, community feel to the scene. The overall atmosphere is calm and picturesque.&#xA;&#xA;smallCelebrating 70 years of USF&#39;s rich history and vibrant campus life, where tradition meets innovation under the open skies./small&#xA;&#xA;As you get older, anniversaries and milestones hit you differently. I don&#39;t know why. I don&#39;t regret anything in my life, but I do feel nostalgic sometimes. The other day, driving to work, I learned that the University of South Florida is celebrating 70 years this year. That surprised me, because the first founding class attended in 1960, so the 70th anniversary is actually a few years off.&#xA;&#xA;I attended USF from 1987 to 1990. I didn&#39;t graduate; I would have had about two years left. 1991 would have been my graduation year, but I was taking it nice and slow. Most people were taking five years, so 1992 would have been my year if I had stayed on track. What would have been my degree? Hold your chair and keep seated, but it would have been Music Education with a minor in Florida History.&#xA;&#xA;Money ran out, I was loaned out, and I decided to join the workforce. Funny enough, I never moved very far from USF. I now work at a non-profit hospital on the USF campus, so for almost my entire adult life I&#39;ve been connected to the university in one way or another. Technically I guess I can&#39;t call myself an alum, but in every other sense I am one. &#xA;&#xA;Here&#39;s to USF, 70 years, and all the good you&#39;ve brought to the community. Go Bulls! 🤘&#xA;&#xA;#history #local #personal&#xA;&#xA;p style=&#34;font-weight: bold; font-size: 0.95em; font-family: Georgia, serif; color: #0c5c35; line-height: 1.8;&#34;&#xD;&#xA;  span class=&#34;tinylytics_kudos&#34;/span&#xD;&#xA;  💬 a href=&#34;https://remark.as/p/michaelmitchell.blog/usf-turns-70&#34;Discuss.../a&#xD;&#xA;  a href=&#34;mailto:michaelm2@michaelmitchell.blog&#34; style=&#34;color:#0c5c35;text-decoration:none&#34;✉️ Email/a&#xD;&#xA;  🦣 a href=&#34;https://writing.exchange/@michaelm2&#34; rel=&#34;me&#34; style=&#34;color: #0c5c35; text-decoration: none;&#34;Reply on Mastodon/a&#xD;&#xA;/p&#xD;&#xA;!--emailsub--]]&gt;</description>
      <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img src="https://i.snap.as/ECY4hDXN.jpg" alt="A watercolor painting depicts a serene rural scene with a blue car driving down a two-lane road toward a small town in the distance. The road curves gently to the left, flanked by grassy fields and scattered bushes. On the left side, there is a utility pole and a streetlamp near a red-roofed building partially visible. In the background, a prominent clock tower with a pointed roof stands among other historic buildings, including one with a large dome and columns. To the right, a modern glass building and a few bicycles parked near trees are visible. The sky is bright with soft, fluffy clouds and a few birds flying. Two people walk along a path near the town, adding a peaceful, community feel to the scene. The overall atmosphere is calm and picturesque."/></p>

<p><small>Celebrating 70 years of USF&#39;s rich history and vibrant campus life, where tradition meets innovation under the open skies.</small></p>

<p>As you get older, anniversaries and milestones hit you differently. I don&#39;t know why. I don&#39;t regret anything in my life, but I do feel nostalgic sometimes. The other day, driving to work, I learned that the University of South Florida is celebrating 70 years this year. That surprised me, because the first founding class attended in 1960, so the 70th anniversary is actually a few years off.</p>

<p>I attended USF from 1987 to 1990. I didn&#39;t graduate; I would have had about two years left. 1991 would have been my graduation year, but I was taking it nice and slow. Most people were taking five years, so 1992 would have been my year if I had stayed on track. What would have been my degree? Hold your chair and keep seated, but it would have been Music Education with a minor in Florida History.</p>

<p>Money ran out, I was loaned out, and I decided to join the workforce. Funny enough, I never moved very far from USF. I now work at a non-profit hospital on the USF campus, so for almost my entire adult life I&#39;ve been connected to the university in one way or another. Technically I guess I can&#39;t call myself an alum, but in every other sense I am one.</p>

<p>Here&#39;s to USF, 70 years, and all the good you&#39;ve brought to the community. Go Bulls! 🤘</p>

<p><a href="https://michaelmitchell.blog/tag:history" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">history</span></a> <a href="https://michaelmitchell.blog/tag:local" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">local</span></a> <a href="https://michaelmitchell.blog/tag:personal" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">personal</span></a></p>

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      <guid>https://michaelmitchell.blog/usf-turns-70</guid>
      <pubDate>Fri, 12 Jun 2026 23:00:15 +0000</pubDate>
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