Yesterday, Ben Sasse resigned from his post as the University of Florida’s (UF) president. He explained that his wife Melissa was recently diagnosed with epilepsy, and that he wanted to dedicate as much time as possible to her and his family. “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,” he wrote.
Sasse has an impressive resume: A graduate of Harvard, St. John’s, and Yale, Sasse worked for one of the world’s top management consulting firms, served as a political appointee during the Bush administration, and led Midland University as one of the nation’s youngest college presidents—all before being elected to serve his home state of Nebraska in the Senate. After serving in the Senate, he went on to serve as UF’s president. Did we mention that he’s only 52 years old?
During his short tenure at UF, Sasse did great work. When antisemitism flared up at campuses across the nation, he spoke with moral clarity at a time when few college leaders were willing to do so. He worked with administrators to beef up UF’s Hamilton Center, an impressive program that promotes civic and liberal education. He was and is on track to become a revolutionary leader for higher education.
Sasse’s decision to step down is a sign of contradiction in our power-hungry era. Our politics and nation would be much better off if we had more leaders like Sasse—leaders who rightly order their obligations, putting the good of others above their own selfish desires. As Princeton professor Robert P. George wrote:
Ben Sasse’s stepping down as President of the University of Florida is a profound loss to the University and to the broader academic world. But his highest and first duty, as a husband and father, is to his family. And he is fulfilling his duty.
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