Sen. Ben Sasse expected to leave Senate, become university president

Senator Ben Sasse, R-Neb., is expected to resign and become the next President of the University of Florida. This may not become official until December, but the university already announced he has been recommended unanimously by a search committee. 

“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,” Rahul Patel, chair of the Presidential Search Committee said in a statement.

While this may not become official until December, The university announced Sen. Sasse is being recommended for the job unanimously by a search committee that initially reached out to 700 possible candidates before narrowing that down to a dozen. Sasse has experience as a professor at the University of Texas at Austin, and as President of Nebraska’s Midland University.

Dr. Sasse, as the university refers to him, said the University of Florida is the most interesting university in America right now. He said the single biggest challenge America faces is disruption to work due to technology.

“Lifelong work in one sector will never again be the norm for most Americans, and therefore lifelong learning must necessarily become the norm for most Americans. Higher education is going to need to change and grow — and rethink its forms — again and again,” Sasse said of why he wants to enter academia. 

This will not have an impact on the balance of power in the chamber. Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts, R, would appoint a replacement until a special election can be held in 2024.

Sasse is one of a number of young conservatives leaving congress in what appears to be their prime. Former House Speaker Paul Ryan decided to call it quits in 2018, and Florida Senator Mel Martinez resigned in 2009.

Gov. Ricketts is the son of Straight Arrow News CEO Joe Ricketts.