Citing the “need to walk arm-in-arm with my dearest friend more hours of every day,” Ben Sasse resigned UF’s top post in July to spend time with his family, nearly two years after being named the university’s 13th president.
“My wife Melissa’s recent epilepsy diagnosis and a new batch of memory issues have been hard, but we’re facing it together,” Sasse wrote in a July 18 message to the university community. “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 more nights.”
In 2007, Melissa Sasse suffered an aneurysm and series of strokes, Sasse said.
The former U.S. senator from Nebraska left Washington to be UF’s president in fall 2022. His last day in that role at the university was July 31, and UF immediately began a search for his replacement. Former UF president Kent Fuchs will serve as interim president. Sasse is staying in Gainesville as president emeritus and professor.
“First, I’m a husband and dad. Second, I’ve been blessed to serve as president of the best dang public university in America — Go Gators! — and I’ve loved the challenge of giving this university everything I’ve got,” Sasse posted on X. “But here’s the bottom line: Those callings are significantly at odds with each other right now … I need to step back for a time and focus more on the needs of my family while we rebuild more stable household systems.”
The University of Florida was Sasse’s second stint as a university president. Prior to his election to the U.S. Senate, he held that job at Midland University, a small Lutheran school in Nebraska. At UF, he succeeded Fuchs, who served as president for eight years.
“Under his leadership, UF has continued to advance on the national and international stage, benefitting our students, faculty, alumni, community and state,” UF Board of Trustees chair Mori Hosseini said of Sasse. “He has left a lasting impact on the university and all those associated with it.”
During his tenure, Sasse focused on enhancing the student experience and accelerating research through cross-campus strategic initiatives, such as the UF Astraeus Space Institute to partner with NASA, an artificial intelligence-enabled imaging platform to treat cancer, a program to improve agriculture and environmental sustainability, and a center to advance cell and gene therapies.
“Thanks for your leadership and service to UF, and even more for your leadership and service to your family,” Heisman-winning quarterback Danny Wuerffel (BS ’96) wrote on X soon after Sasse announced his decision to step down. “God bless you! Go Gators!”
