Ben Sasse, controversial University of Florida president, announces his resignation

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — College of Florida president Ben Sasse, a controversial choose virtually two years in the past when he was named to guide one of many prime public universities within the U.S., plans to depart his place to deal with caring for his household after his spouse was identified with epilepsy.

In a publish on the social platform X, the previous U.S. senator from Nebraska mentioned Thursday night time that “after intensive prayer and many household tears,” he requested college officers that day to begin on the lookout for a brand new president. In a press release, the college mentioned his resignation is efficient July 31.

“I must step again for a time and focus extra on the wants of my household whereas we rebuild extra secure family techniques,” Sasse mentioned, including that he would proceed to show on the college in Gainesville, Florida.

Sasse’s spouse, Melissa, who had an aneurysm and a collection of strokes in 2007, was not too long ago identified with epilepsy and has been having “a brand new batch of reminiscence points,” he mentioned.

“We’ve battled some nasty seizures the final couple years, however she’s all the time remained a warrior,” he mentioned.

The couple has two daughters in faculty, and their youngest youngster is popping 13, he mentioned.

Sasse, a Republican, left the senate final yr after being named the thirteenth president of the college.

Whereas within the Senate, he was a outstanding critic of former President Donald Trump who joined with a handful of different Republicans to vote in favor of conviction in his impeachment trial after the 2021 Capitol riot. That led to criticism from inside Sasse’s personal occasion although he voted with Trump 85 % of the time and helped get his three Supreme Courtroom nominees confirmed.

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Sasse was a controversial choose to move the College of Florida, and he confronted vocal opposition from some college and college students who objected to his stance in opposition to same-sex marriage and positions on different LGBTQ points. Some college and college students additionally questioned his {qualifications} to run such a sprawling college with greater than 50,000 college students. The college’s college Senate voted no confidence on an opaque choice course of during which Sasse emerged as the only real finalist.

Requested Friday to explain Sasse’s legacy on the college, Meera Sitharam, chapter president for the union representing the college’s college mentioned, “I don’t assume he has completed very a lot that was optimistic.”

Sasse did little to guard the college’s college and college students from the political meddling of Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration, implied college members weren’t productive and infringed on college students’ rights to peacefully protest Israel’s response to the Oct. 7 assault by Hamas, she mentioned.

A report by the American Affiliation of College Professors launched final December mentioned educational freedom and unbiased governance have been beneath political and ideological assault in Florida’s college system in the course of the tenure of DeSantis.

Amongst different issues, the Republican-controlled Legislature final yr handed a legislation that requires a evaluate each 5 years of tenured professors and forces state universities to be accredited by a unique company every accreditation cycle. Tenured professors historically have been given indefinite educational appointments to advertise educational freedom, the report mentioned.

Earlier this month, the College of Florida kicked out of college some pro-Palestinian protesters who had been arrested throughout an April demonstration, overruling a lighter sentence that had been advisable by listening to our bodies who heard testimony and watched police video of the protest.

“We want we didn’t should, however the college students weighed the prices, made their choices, and can personal the results as adults,” Sasse mentioned in a Could opinion piece within the Wall Road Journal. “We’re a college, not a daycare. We don’t coddle feelings, we wrestle with concepts.”

The chair of the college’s board of trustees, Mori Hosseini, thanked Sasse for his management.

“He has left an enduring influence on the college and all of these related to it. We want Ben all the most effective as he steps again to deal with his household,” Hosseini mentioned.

Sasse thanked the college for welcoming his household and mentioned he was grateful for the professors and college students as properly these behind the scenes, like third-shift upkeep crews and the early morning cafeteria employees.

“We love you. You touched our hearts and made this greater than a job — you made it our group,” Sasse mentioned. “That’s why we’re not going anyplace.”

Slevin reported from Denver.