New Endowment Honors ASUSF Voices Director Rick Roberts ’86

The fund will provide ongoing resources in perpetuity for ASUSF Voices, USF’s largest student choir, and is one of the few endowments on campus that provides direct impact to ASUSF student clubs and organizations. 

ASUSF Voices offers students who share a passion for music the opportunity to perform together through five student-produced ensembles: USF Voices, Treble Voices, Basso Voices, Jazz Voices, and SIX Voices. Under the direction of Roberts and Sean Gresens, the ensembles host performances throughout the year, including end-of-semester concerts that bring together students, alumni, and the broader USF community.

The creation of the endowment reflects a relationship that began decades ago. Davis, a professor of communication studies who spent 37 years at USF, first met Roberts when he was a first-year student and biology major. The two connected immediately.

“We were both introduced to each other, as Rick, and we’ve been talking to each other ever since,” Davis said. “I love Rick Roberts, I really do. It’s sort of like having a son, but maybe even better?”

Davis went on to introduce Roberts to the symphony and the opera — experiences Roberts now shares with USF students through ASUSF Voices.

Their relationship continued even after Roberts graduated. When he found himself uncertain about his next steps, Davis encouraged him to return to graduate school, paving the way for Roberts to come back to USF as an educator.

“My whole career wouldn’t have happened without Richard Davis,” Roberts said. “My appreciation for music — the symphony, everything — came from him.”

Music has long been Davis’s source of peace and belonging. Seven years ago, after losing his singing voice, he experienced a period of depression that underscored how essential music had been in his life.

“Music has always been my release, it's where I find peace and acceptance,” said Davis.

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That passion shaped his decision to create the endowment within ASUSF. ASUSF Voices is both a student organization and an academic course. By placing the fund within student government, the gift also affirms trust in student leadership.

Davis was inspired to honor Robert's body of work at USF, to protect a special space where students can create together. 

Roberts recalled that one semester, their entire alto section was nursing students. 
“They told me this was their one hour a week where they didn’t have to be nursing students,” said Roberts.

While music offerings across campus have narrowed, student engagement has grown. ASUSF Voices enrolls about 50 students each semester, while the rock band program regularly reaches capacity at 25 students. The endowment helps stabilize and sustain these opportunities as interest continues to increase.

Funds will be used to support the continued success of ASUSF Voices beyond the classroom including the student leadership development and community building opportunities. For the board of ASUSF Voices, this offers security and a future in the face of budget cuts for performing arts. 

ASUSF Voices President and Publicity and Outreach Coordinator, Olivia Hoover ’26, said, “We see voices as a very special community on campus that allows everyone interested in having a creative outlet to have one. This endowment ensures that future Dons can continue to feel welcome to explore creativity and find community.”

Honor the legacy of mentorship and music at USF. Support the ensembles and the student leaders who make this work possible.