GAINESVILLE, Florida — University of Florida President Ben Sasse announced Thursday night that he is stepping down from his position of nearly two years to focus on caring for his family after his wife was diagnosed with epilepsy.
In a post on the social media platform X, the former U.S. senator from Nebraska said that “after extensive prayers and many family tears,” he had asked university officials that day to begin a search for a new president. In a statement, the university said his resignation is effective July 31.
“I need to take a step back and focus more on the needs of my family as we build more stable household systems,” Sasse said, adding that he would continue teaching at the university.
Sasse’s wife Melissa, who suffered an aneurysm and a series of strokes in 2007, was recently diagnosed with epilepsy and is experiencing “new memory problems,” he said.
“We have had some nasty attacks over the years, but she has always remained a fighter,” he said.
The couple have two daughters who are studying at university and their youngest child will be 13, he said.
Sasse, a Republican, left the Senate last year after he appointed as the university’s 13th president.
While in the Senate, he was a prominent critic of former President Donald Trump who joined a handful of other Republicans in voting to convict him in his impeachment trial following the 2021 Capitol riots, drawing criticism from within Sasse’s own party, even though he voted with Trump 85% of the time and helped confirm his three Supreme Court nominees.
The chairman of the university’s board of trustees, Mori Hosseini, thanked Sasse for his leadership.
“He has had a lasting impact on the university and everyone involved. We wish Ben the very best as he steps back to focus on his family,” Hosseini said.
Sasse thanked the university for welcoming his family and said he was grateful to the professors and students, but also to the people behind the scenes, such as the maintenance crews of the third shift and the morning cafeteria staff.
“We love you guys. You touched our hearts and made this more than a job — you made it our community,” Sasse said. “That’s why we’re not going anywhere.”