Ben Sasse
Ben Sasse | |
|---|---|
Sasse in 2016 | |
| 13th President of the University of Florida | |
| In office February 6, 2023 – July 31, 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Kent Fuchs |
| Succeeded by | Kent Fuchs (acting) |
| United States Senator from Nebraska | |
| In office January 3, 2015 – January 8, 2023 | |
| Preceded by | Mike Johanns |
| Succeeded by | Pete Ricketts |
| 15th President of Midland University | |
| In office December 10, 2010 – December 31, 2014 | |
| Preceded by | Stephen Fritz |
| Succeeded by | Jody Horner |
| Assistant Secretary of Health and Human Services for Planning and Evaluation | |
| In office December 19, 2007 – January 20, 2009 | |
| President | George W. Bush |
| Preceded by | Michael O'Grady |
| Succeeded by | Sherry Glied |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Benjamin Eric Sasse February 22, 1972 Plainview, Nebraska, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse |
Melissa McLeod (m. 1995) |
| Children | 3 |
| Education | |
| Academic background | |
| Thesis | The anti-Madalyn majority: Secular left, religious right, and the rise of Reagan's America (2004) |
| Doctoral advisor | Jon Butler Harry Stout |
| Academic work | |
| Discipline | Political science |
| Institutions | University of Texas at Austin Midland University |
Benjamin Eric Sasse ( /ˈsæs/ SASS; born February 22, 1972) is an American politician and higher education administrator. He represented Nebraska in the United States Senate from 2015 to 2023, resigning to become the 13th president of the University of Florida from February 2023 to July 2024. He is a member of the Republican Party.
Born in Plainview, Nebraska, Sasse studied at Harvard University, St. John's College, and Yale University. He has taught at the University of Texas and served as an assistant secretary in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in the George W. Bush administration. In 2010, Sasse was named the 15th president of Midland University in Fremont, Nebraska.
In 2014, Sasse ran for a vacant seat in the U.S. Senate. He defeated Democratic nominee David Domina, 65% to 31%. In 2020, Sasse was reelected. On February 13, 2021, Sasse was one of seven Republican senators to vote to convict Donald Trump of incitement of insurrection in his second impeachment trial.
Sasse resigned from the Senate on January 8, 2023, to succeed Kent Fuchs as president of the University of Florida. On July 18, 2024, he announced his surprise resignation from the position effective July 31, 2024, citing his wife's health issues. After his resignation, it was revealed that Sasse had spent an unusual amount of money as president of the University of Florida, much of which went to lucrative consulting contracts and high-paid, remote positions for his former staffers and GOP allies.