Former UF President Ben Sasse stepped down unexpectedly in July, citing concerns about his wife’s health. But nine current and former administrators and top donors say there was more to the story.
Florida Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis has called on the Board of Governors, which oversees the State University System, to launch an investigation into former UF President Ben Sasse’s “exorbitant spending” of university funds.
Former UF provost Joe Glover is returning to his post after less than a month at University of Arizona — the first major shakeup in university leadership since former UF President Kent Fuchs returned to his post Aug. 1.
The United Faculty of Florida and its UF and Florida State University chapters filed a federal lawsuit Aug. 7 seeking to reverse a 2023 state law banning neutral arbitration.
SNAP is a free on- and off-campus transportation service exclusive to currently enrolled students and staff, operating from 6:30 p.m. to 3 a.m. nightly during the Fall and Spring semesters and 8:30 p.m. to 3 a.m. every summer. Depending on demand, SNAP deploys between four and seven vans to roam campus that seat up to 15 people each.
In his 17-month stint as UF president, Ben Sasse more than tripled his office’s spending, directing millions in university funds into secretive consulting contracts and high-paying positions for his GOP allies.
In the state’s first round of post-tenure review completed in July, UF led the state in negative evaluations.
Fink, a 26-year-old UF business administration graduate student, won the 2024 Miss Florida pageant in June with a talent of lyrical dance and a community service initiative called Give to Live — Donate Life.
Protestors filled the streets of Caracas, Venezuela, lifting posters calling for “libertad” in anticipation of the results of the country’s 2024 presidential election. More than 1,300 miles away, Ismary Ochoa anxiously watched the news in Miami.
According to a sign posted on the door to the center’s main suite, CIME is closed until Aug. 5 for refurbishment. Its website has been taken down for construction and its social media accounts are inactive.
Due to Tropical Storm Debby, which is expected to strengthen to a Category 1 hurricane before it makes landfall, UF announced it will close campus and cancel classes for Monday.
In a letter sent to Summerlin and other top UF officials July 19, 90 faculty called upon the university to follow the committee’s recommendations. The letter, provided to The Alligator by a CLAS professor who preferred to remain anonymous, said the university did not uphold the student honor code by not being fair and not respecting laws and regulations.
At a Wednesday press conference at St. Petersburg College, DeSantis said he would leave the decision to the UF Board of Trustees, of which six members out of 13 are appointed by the governor. Mori Hosseini, who has ties to DeSantis, has chaired the board since 2018.
Five days after UF President Ben Sasse abruptly resigned, the university’s board of trustees is set to vote on whether his predecessor Kent Fuchs will take over in the interim. If confirmed, Fuchs will take office Aug. 1.
Five days after UF President Ben Sasse’s abrupt resignation, the university said his predecessor Kent Fuchs has agreed to take over in the interim effective Aug. 1. The UF Board of Trustees will officially vote on Fuchs’ interim presidency at a 5:30 p.m special meeting Tuesday, according to a university-wide email.
No details were included in the meeting’s agenda, but the board is expected to name an interim president before Sasse steps down July 31.
Unaddressed grievances concerning sudden summer layoffs, inadequate pay and an unprofessional work environment spurred employees of Chartwells Higher Education, UF’s campus food provider, to officially announce their unionization effort July 10.
Danaya Wright had plans and papers to write. After chairing the UF Faculty Senate during Ben Sasse’s tumultuous first year at the university’s helm, she was behind on her duties as a law professor. The sun was low as she drove home from campus, moments before she received the call that changed everything: “Sasse is resigning.”
Following UF President Ben Sasse's abrupt resignation from the university's top post, several top state politicians took to Twitter to offer their condolences to Sasse and honor his leadership's legacy.
Sasse, who has led the university since February 2023, announced his resignation in a UF news release Thursday night. He leaves office effective July 31.
Solutions by The State News
