Ask the earliest students of what is now the College of Behavioral and Community Sciences (CBCS) and they鈥檒l likely tell you the same story: the first programs were born from humble 鈥� and sometimes gritty 鈥� beginnings.
The Department of Communicology, for example, marked its start in an off-campus, two-story former apartment building nicknamed 鈥淢ildew Manor.鈥� Therapy rooms were partitioned with plywood paneling and instructors supervised sessions through narrow slits cut into the wood.
Students in the Criminal Justice program, which also began in the apartment complex, shared a similar experience. At the time, the 最新天美传媒 (USF) itself was still finding its footing.
Carl Hawkins participates in a Social Sciences Advisory Board Meeting in 1974. Photo by Chris Malone, The Oracle, Jan. 31, 1974.
鈥淯SF back then was really a small school,鈥� said Carl Hawkins, one of the first students to take Criminal Justice courses when the program began in 1972. 鈥淭here weren鈥檛 many buildings, there were a lot of sandspurs and ant hills and you鈥檇 see them three or four inches high.鈥�
Fortunately, 鈥淢ildew Manor鈥� and sandy walkways were only the beginning.
As the programs grew, Criminal Justice (now the Department of Criminology) and Communicology (now the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders) both found a new home in the Behavioral Sciences Building, where a large clinical observation area often referred to as 鈥渢he fishbowl鈥� enabled faculty and students to observe multiple therapy sessions at once.
鈥淚 had never seen anything like it,鈥� said alumnus Joseph Constantine in an recorded for the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders (CSD) 50th anniversary. 鈥淚 learned so much, and I really fell in love with the process of clinical supervision.鈥�
A student conducts a hearing test in this undated photo. The USF Speech Language and Hearing Center first opened in 1969.
Today, the USF Speech-Language Clinic and USF Hearing Clinic provide nearly 40,000 hours of speech and hearing services to the community annually.
In the years that followed, Criminology moved into the Social Science Building, and by the 1970s, CSD built a brand-new facility on Laurel Drive.
The college in a new era
Today, however, as USF celebrates 70 years since its founding, CBCS stands out in ways that go far beyond its physical footprint. The college is home to six academic departments and schools, along with 21 specialized research centers, institutes and clinics.
From the Louis de la Parte Florida Mental Health Institute 鈥� built on USF鈥檚 campus in 1974 and still strengthening mental health and substance use services across the country today 鈥� to the Center for Autism & Related Disabilities (CARD) at USF, a statewide program supporting individuals with autism spectrum disorder, for example, CBCS鈥� many centers and institutes serve individuals and families across Florida and beyond.
CBCS has cultivated distinctive and forward-thinking academic programs such as the behavioral healthcare undergraduate degree launched in 2012, which prepares students for careers related to mental health and substance use, as well as the only non-clinical doctorate in behavioral and community sciences in the state of Florida that focuses on behavioral health, education and welfare across the lifespan, and emphasizes community-based research. The college also recently introduced a fully online Rehabilitation and Disability Counseling master鈥檚 program, designed to improve quality of life for people with disabilities and their families, and is home to the nation's longest standing degree-awarding program in gerontology.
Our graduate students in the early years were mostly professionals who were already working in the field of aging, many in very responsible positions, and they were stimulating and highly motivated individuals. With nurses, social workers, rehabilitation counselors, physical therapists and administrators as our students, we probably learned as much as they did.
Emeritus Professor Sue Saxon (from an early history of the School of Aging Studies)
With a strong emphasis on research, CBCS offers the university鈥檚 only undergraduate research certificate and, for nearly two decades, hosted an annual Summer Research Institute that paired students with faculty mentors, prepared them for graduate study, and helped develop the next generation of researchers.
Impact in action
Bachelor of Social Work student Britney Guerra created a garden for clients of the Salvation Army of Manatee County to promote mental health.
Across schools and departments, CBCS students are prepared to make a difference through their careers. The School of Social Work trains students for practice in diverse settings, while Applied Behavior Analysis addresses workforce needs in developmental disabilities, autism, education and related fields.
True to the nature of its disciplines, the college鈥檚 impact extends deep into the community. Each year, CBCS students contribute more than 300,000 service hours 鈥� valued at an estimated $7.7 million 鈥� working alongside hundreds of community partners. These include law enforcement agencies, healthcare organizations, behavioral health and social service providers, federal and state agencies, and public school systems.
Faculty scholarship reaches just as far. CBCS is home to eight American Association for the Advancement of Science Fellows and researchers have collaborated internationally with partners in Peru, the United Kingdom, South Korea, China, and Canada on projects spanning gerontology, criminology, and women鈥檚 health. Closer to home, CBCS faculty have partnered with nearly every college across the university.
Charting the path ahead
CBCS continues to grow while embracing the future. One of its newest programs, the Bachelor of Science in Health Care Administration, prepares students for administrative careers across a wide range of health care settings. Beginning in Fall 2026, the college will offer a Bachelor of Science in Cybercrime and Digital Forensics to meet the evolving workforce needs of the law enforcement community. Also launching in Fall 2026, in collaboration with the Bellini College of Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity and Computing, the Bachelor of Science in Computer Science and Criminology will equip graduates with both technical expertise and an understanding of human behavior 鈥� a powerful combination.
What makes the College of Behavioral and Community Sciences special isn鈥檛 just how far we鈥檝e come, but why we鈥檝e grown. From our earliest days, the focus has always been on people and improving lives through research, education, and meaningful engagement with our communities. That commitment continues to shape what鈥檚 next.
Dean Julie Serovich
At the same time, CBCS is expanding the infrastructure of the to help address the state鈥檚 behavioral health workforce shortage. In 2026, the college will also establish the Darryl E. Rouson Center for Substance Abuse and Mental Health Research, dedicated to advancing scientific understanding of the complex relationship between substance use and mental health.
From makeshift classrooms to multidisciplinary innovation, the story of CBCS is one of momentum. CBCS is not only responding to the future 鈥� it is helping define it.