Transparency Concerns with Sasse Selection

By Gordon Hopkins U.S. Senator Benjamin Sasse faced hundreds of student protestors at the University of Florida (UF) on Monday, October 10, 2022. Many of those protestors chanted.On Thursday, October 6, the UF Presidential Search Committee announced that it had unanimously recommended Sasse as the sole finalist for consideration as president of the University of Florida by its Board of Trustees.While much of the reportage following the announcement has focused on Sasse’s positions on such political issues as gay marriage and abortion, some have expressed concerns about the lack of transparency in the selection process.Although he has not yet formally accepted the position as of press time, it is expected he will resign as senator by the end of the year. If he does accept the position, Sasse will replace Kent Fuchs, who is leaving the position after eight years but will remain at the school as a professor.An editorial published in the school’s newspaper, The Independent Florida Alligator, said, “Florida’s Senate Bill 520 has largely transformed state universities’ presidential search processes. Effective since March 15, it’s provided collegiate presidential candidates with nearly impermeable shields of anonymity by keeping certain early-stage details hidden from the public — most notably the identities of the candidates.”In March of this year, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed a bill that exempted the names of applicants for the presidencies of Florida public universities and colleges from disclosure under public record laws.The protests garnered national coverage. During one of the forums, Sasse said, “Obviously, I wish they (the protestors) didn’t have the position they have, but I strongly support their rights to protest.”Sasse added, “I don’t exactly welcome them, but I intellectually and constitutionally welcome the protesters.”The Alligator’s editorial staff wrote, “How could students possibly have planned a calmer response to Sasse’s consideration if they were only informed once every other finalist had been dropped?”According to an interview with The Alligator, Faculty Senate President Amanda Phalin said the search committee had no choice but to select a single candidate before making the announcement. Phalin, said every one of the dozen finalists insisted they would drop out of the running unless they were named the sole finalist.UF issued a statement that said, in part, “Sasse was the unanimous choice of the UF Search Committee.”Sasse is scheduled to be interviewed by the University’s Board of Trustees on November 1, at 10 a.m., in Emerson Hall. The event will be livestreamed.

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