Sen. Ben Sasse ready to take top job at University of Florida

Ben Sasse is poised to take over the role of president at the University of Florida and likely resign as a U.S. senator representing Nebraska after a search committee recommended him as the “sole finalist” for the position.

Sasse, who assumed office in 2015, has a history in higher education, serving as president of Midland University in Nebraska from 2010 to 2014. He has a Ph.D. in history from Yale University and taught at the University of Texas at Austin.

The University of Florida’s Presidential Search Committee unanimously referred the senator as the “sole finalist” for president to the Board of Trustees, the university said in a statement Thursday.

Rahul Patel, who chairs the committee, said it would be the right move “for the University of Florida, right for the state of Florida and right for the Sasse family.”

“Ben brings intellectual curiosity, a belief in the power and potential of American universities, and an unmatched track record of leadership spanning higher education, government and the private sector,” he added.

Sasse was chosen out of a dozen candidates following an “exhaustive” process that “included outreach to more than 700 leaders within and outside of higher education,” the university said.

Sasse, in a statement, said he’s “thrilled about the opportunity,” adding that he considers UF “the most interesting university in America right now.”

“It’s the most important institution in the nation’s most economically dynamic state – and its board, faculty and graduates are uniquely positioned to lead this country through an era of disruption,” he said. “The caliber of teaching and research at UF is unmistakable, carried out through the core principles of shared governance and academic freedom.”

The University of Florida has been ranked by U.S. News as the fifth-best public university in the country.

The UF Board of Trustees must officially evaluate the committee’s recommendation, then the Florida Board of Governors must confirm the selected president, the university said.

Sasse is set to visit the campus on Monday, according to UF.

It’s unclear when Sasse would resign as a U.S. senator, a position he was reelected to in 2020.