Former U.S. senator Ben Sasse, who became the University of Florida’s president amid a swarm of controversy in 2022, has resigned after less than two years at the helm. Sasse, who officially took over as president in February 2023, said on the university’s website that he needed more time to focus on his wife’s health problems and other family matters.
“My wife Melissa’s recent epilepsy diagnosis and a new batch of memory issues have been hard, but we’re facing it together,” Sasse said in the brief statement. “Our two wonderful daughters are in college, but our youngest is just turning 13. 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.
“I need to step back and rebuild more stable household systems for a time,” he added. “I’m going to remain involved in serving our UF students—past, present, and future—but I need to walk arm-in-arm with my dearest friend more hours of every week.”
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Sasse added on X that he will remain in Gainesville as president emeritus and continue to teach classes.
Sasse, a Nebraska Republican who left his post in Congress to join the flagship university, faced a no-confidence vote by the school’s Faculty Senate even before he was hired officially in October 2022. Faculty cited Sasse’s lack of experience leading a major research university even though he had been president of Midland University in Nebraska from 2010-2014.
Around the same time, the Board of Trustees then announced it would enforce a ban on indoor protests to prevent students or staff from rallying outside the meeting at which Sasse was confirmed as president. In Congress, Sasse voted to impeach then-President Donald Trump but otherwise often voted along party lines and publically opposed same-sex marriage.
Ben Sasse’s X announcement of his resignation:
Dear Gator Nation and cherished friends,
This isn’t an easy note to write but wanted to give you an update on our family. As many of you know, my wife Melissa suffered an aneurysm and series of strokes in 2007. Back then, the docs prepared us for the worst, but – in God’s…
— Ben Sasse (@BenSasse) July 19, 2024
Florida A&M president departs
Sasse was the second president of a major Florida University to resign over a seven-day period. Larry Robinson has announced he is leaving Florida A&M after nearly seven years at the helm of the HBCU.
The university’s statement did not cover the reasons for Robinson’s decision, but various media reports noted Robinson’s recent acceptance of a $237 million donation that has now been halted as the actual value of the stocks that comprise the gift is investigated.
Robinson is also a distinguished professor in the Florida A&M’s School of the Environment—a position he held prior to becoming president—and intends to return to the classroom after a year-long sabbatical.
