University of Florida President Ben Sasse announced his resignation two years into his presidency, citing his wife’s health.
Sasse, the former Republican senator from Nebraska, said late Thursday on the social media platform X that “after extensive prayer and lots of family tears,” he planned to “step back for a time and focus more on the needs on my family.”
In his statement, Sasse, 52, wrote that his wife Melissa, who had previously suffered an aneurysm and series of strokes, was recently diagnosed with epilepsy. And he felt he could no longer balance his “two spectacular callings in life” — university president and husband and father.
“I’ve loved the challenge of giving this university everything I’ve got,” he wrote. “But here’s the bottom line: Those callings are significantly at odds with each other right now. Gator Nation needs a president who can keep charging hard, Melissa deserves a husband who can pull his weight, and my kids need a dad who can be home many more nights.”
Sasse’s resignation is effective July 31, and the university’s board of trustees will launch a search for a new president.
First elected to Congress in 2015, Sasse was the sole finalist in UF’s search for a new president after Kent Fuchs resigned in early 2022. He was met by raucous protests when he arrived on campus for interviews that fall. Students questioned his record on same-sex marriage as a politician, and faculty questioned whether his experience at Midland University, a small private Lutheran university in Nebraska, would translate to leading UF.
Sasse was approved for a five-year contract and $1 million base salary, and moved with his wife and 13-year-old son to Gainesville. The couple’s two daughters were in college.
Sasse differed in style from his predecessor, who was frequently spotted on campus taking selfies with students and attending most faculty senate meetings.Students said they spotted on campus less frequently, leading some to question where he was. By Sasse’s account, he spent his early months as president listening, before sharing his ideas for “a new north star” for the university.
Sasse said he wanted to expand the university’s presence across the state through new campuses and centers far from Gainesville, and he used data analyses from an outside consultant in talking about reshaping department productivity. But at times, his ideas and lingo confused and rankled faculty.
While Sasse emphasized the university’s need to become more agile, UF faculty union president Meera Sitharam said in an interview that the “move fast and break things” approach did not sit well with many faculty.
In recent months, Sasse was outspoken about pro-Palestine protests on campus, penning an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal that called protesters “Pro-Hamas agitators” and making an appearance on CNN calling the protesters “people who scream the loudest.” His comments earned praise from Gov. Ron DeSantis, who appeared at UF to praise the state’s response to campus protests.
He also recently announced more than 20 new faculty hires at the newHamilton Center, established by the state legislature to teach and research Western civilization and the Great Books.
Under Sasse’s watch, the university was named the No. 1 public university by the Wall Street Journal last year and a “new Ivy” by Forbes this year.
In a statement, UF Board of Trustee chairman Mori Hosseini thanked Sasse for his service.
“Under his leadership, UF has continued to advance on the national and international stage, benefiting our students, faculty, alumni, community and state,” he said. “He has left a lasting impact on the university and all of those associated with it. We wish Ben all the best as he steps back to focus on his family.”
Sitharam said that after watching the direction the state has taken with higher education, she is not optimistic about a new presidential search.
“I’m not hopeful that something will get better,” she said.
Sasse, who plans to stay in Gainesville and continue as a professor and serve in an advisory role, said he looks forward to “walk(ing) arm-in-arm with my dearest friend more hours of every week.”
“It’s great to be a Florida Gator!” he said in his post. “It’s even greater to be a husband and a dad.”