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The University of Tampa’s newest building, the Innovation and Collaboration Building, will receive a new name in recognition of longtime UT supporter Maureen A. Daly.

Daly, as announced by UT president Ronald L. Vaughn today, has been awarded this honor in recognition of her longtime service and financial support to the University.

In honor of that longtime service and commitment to the University, the Innovation and Collaboration Building, an 8-story academic and administrative building that includes the John P. Lowth Entrepreneurship Center, will now officially be named the Maureen A. Daly Innovation and Collaboration Building.

Daly has been involved with UT since 1987, when she and members of UT’s Board of Trustees developed a scholarship fund for accounting students. She then went on to be a member of the Board of Trustees from 1999 to 2011, both serving on and chairing the educational affairs and board planning committees, as well as holding the board officer positions of secretary, vice chair, chair and immediate past chair. Daly was the board’s first and only female chair.

Daly said her support was motivated by both her association with UT as well as the road she’s traveled as an entrepreneur.

“I'm grateful for the innovative and collaborative spirit of the UT community who I credit for many of the successes I've enjoyed,” Daly said. “I strive to include charitable giving in my business initiatives, and I look forward to continuing my support for The University of Tampa.”

“Maureen has been involved with this university for nearly 30 years and has made significant and visible impacts on many aspects of UT’s transformation,” Vaughn said. “Certainly her being the first female chair of the Board of Trustees is significant, but even more important is the commitment she has made to UT over such a long and critical period in UT’s history.”

The Daly Innovation and Collaboration Building, which was opened in September, features three floors of academic and administrative space, including the state-of-the-art Lowth Entrepreneurship Center, and four floors of parking. Located near the corner of Kennedy and North boulevards, the building also includes high tech cybersecurity labs, campus safety offices, innovative classrooms, study spaces, faculty offices and a Starbucks Reserve store.

Daly was a lead architect in the formation of Romac International (now KForce Professional Staffing) and was instrumental in the company's first public offering in 1995. Today KForce is a publicly traded Fortune 500 company.

She has served numerous organizations in leadership roles including the Boys and Girls Club of Tampa Bay, the Tampa Museum of Art, Metropolitan Ministries and the Red Cross Angels.

As an avid textile investor, Daly amassed a large collection of costumes from both Hollywood and royal notables alike. Her collection of Princess Diana dresses gained fame after Diana’s death, and she lent them to a traveling museum nonprofit which helped raise funds for AIDS, cancer and children’s charities on three continents.
Daly was the subject of a book about the experience, My Decade with Diana, which was published in 2007.

Daly is a graduate of The Ohio State University School of Journalism and has taught as an adjunct faculty member in UT’s Sykes College of Business.

Daly’s recognition comes at a time of tremendous momentum for The University of Tampa. UT continues its record enrollment, and campus construction and external recognitions of the University’s success are at an all-time high.