Senator Ben Sasse was one of the top candidates for the Presidential seat in the University of Florida, a decision that elicited a wide range of reactions from faculty, students and staff.
On Monday, the Republican from Nebraska traveled to Gainesville to see the campus and meet with members of the university community.
During his trip, Ben repeatedly sought to draw a line between his career as a politician and what he sees as the “consensus-building” role of a university president, as he struggled to get the students on his side.
In a Forum hosted by the Faculty Senate, he said:
“One of the things that’s so appealing about this moment and this opportunity for me … is the opportunity to step back from politics for a time.
“I think most of this job is a very different thing than the political aspects of the job I’ve just had, and I want to assure you that I’m well aware of those differentiated roles.”
He wasn’t angling for votes, but he was engaging in a different kind of public image campaign; he spent the day meeting with various interest groups, trying to build trust, lay out his leadership vision and assuage fears among his new would-be constituents.
Talking about the University of Florida and how he saw the potential for greatness, he said:
“I think that the vast majority of institutions of higher ed think that what we’re doing 20 and 30 years from now will be basically the same things we were doing 20 and 30 years ago, and I don’t really think that’s true. I think we’re going to have to innovate.”
“The last three to five to seven years here feel like there’s a kind of momentum and trajectory here that’s almost unrivaled in the country.”
When asked about his opposition to gay marriage and abortion rights during the faculty forum, Sasse said that his views concerning federal policy will have no effect on his role as president and that he is committed to making UF a “place of respect and inclusion for all Gators.”
He said he wants to ensure that the university is a place for “robust debate” and warned of the dangers of “indoctrination” in the classroom.
During the second forum, held for UF students, Sasse addressed many of the same concerns—including how he would ensure the safety of LGBTQ+ students on campus and his stance on abortion rights.
Meanwhile, hundreds of protesters gathered outside Emerson Hall, drowning Sasse out multiple times with their chants.
Halfway through the event, the protesters entered the building. The forum ended a few minutes prematurely, and Ben was ushered out.
