University of Florida President Ben Sasse Steps DownUniversity of Florida President Ben Sasse Steps Down University of Florida President Ben Sasse has announced his resignation, effective July 31, due to his wife’s health challenges. Sasse, who was appointed in November 2022, will transition to a teaching and advisory role. In a statement, he expressed the challenges his wife Melissa has been facing with epilepsy and her recent memory issues. “Gator Nation needs a president who can keep hitting hard,” Sasse said. “Melissa deserves a husband who can pull his weight, and my kids need a dad who can be home a lot more nights.” He added, “I’ll stay committed to serving our UF students, but I need to spend more hours each week walking arm in arm with my best friend.” The university’s board of trustees will conduct a search for a new president while announcing an interim president in the meantime. Sasse is a former U.S. senator from Nebraska and a historian with degrees from Georgetown University and Yale University. He previously served as president of Midland University in Nebraska and taught at the University of Texas.
University of Florida President Ben Sasse announced Thursday that he is stepping down due to his wife’s health problems.
Sasse was appointed the university’s 13th president in November 2022. He will step down from his position on July 31 and transition to a teaching and advisory role.
“My wife Melissa’s recent diagnosis of epilepsy and the new memory challenges that come with it are tough, but we are in this together,” Sasse said in a statement.
“Gator Nation needs a president who can keep hitting hard, Melissa deserves a husband who can pull his weight, and my kids need a dad who can be home a lot more nights,” he said. “I need to step back and build more stable home systems for a while. I’ll stay committed to serving our UF students — past, present and future — but I need to spend more hours each week walking arm in arm with my best friend.”
The university’s board of trustees has indicated that it will search for a new president, but that it will announce an interim president in the meantime.
Sasse is a former senator from Nebraska and a historian with a doctorate from Yale University. He was previously president of Midland University in Fremont, Nebraska, with just over 1,600 students. He also taught at the University of Texas.
