[citation needed] She graduated from University of Wisconsin at Madison with a Bachelor of Arts in social work and psychology in 1969.
[6][3] Genshaft joined the faculty of Ohio State University in 1976 as an assistant professor in school psychology.
[8] From 2000 to 2007, USF grew federally-funded research 213 percent, reported to be the fastest rate of any university in the country.
[8] Genshaft named NFL Hall of Famer Lee Roy Selmon as USF's director of athletics in May 2001.
[9][10] Following the September 11, 2001 attacks, USF professor Sami Al-Arian was interviewed by Fox News commentator Bill O'Reilly regarding his connections to Ramadan Shalah, leader of the Islamic Jihad Movement in Palestine.
[13][14] On Dec. 19, 2001, USF's board of trustees voted 12 to 1 in favor of a resolution that President Genshaft act should dismiss Al-Arian "as quickly as university processes will allow."
The government alleged Al-Arian was the North American leader of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) and had raised funds and organized activities to support the murder of more than 100 people.
Al-Arian eventually pled down to providing support to members of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad and was sentenced to 57 months in prison.
[19] Genshaft fired medical school dean Robert Daugherty in October 2003 after he allegedly violated university rules when he requested that his staff contribute to the campaign of state House Speaker Johnnie Byrd.
[20] She received $879,506 in compensation for the 2015–2016 academic year, ranking her as the 11th highest paid university president in the United States.
[28] In June 2019, Genshaft and her husband, Steven Greenbaum, donated $20 million to USF for the construction of a new honors college.