A Star President's Resignation Was a Mystery. Was It All About Rankings?

In February 2023, Ben Sasse, a Nebraska senator, took over as president of the University of Florida, one of the nation's top public universities, with a significant $10 million, five-year contract. However, Sasse resigned in July, just 17 months into his role, citing his wife's health issues. His tenure faced challenges including falling U.S. News & World Report rankings and discontent among faculty and students.

Before Sasse's presidency, the university rose to a top-five standing in public universities but slipped to No. 6 shortly after his arrival, and further down to No. 7. This created tension given Florida's emphasis on improving rankings, a strategic focus intensified since 2017. It led to extensive measures, like increasing faculty numbers and investing in top-performing students, aiming to improve the rankings.

Mori Hosseini, the influential chairman of the board of trustees, drove Sasse's appointment, believing he could enhance the university's standing further. Despite having an academic background with a Ph.D. from Yale and a leadership stint at Midland University, Sasse grappled with aligning his vision with the board's ranking-focused strategy.

The university's Levin College of Law mirrored this ranking obsession, rising in ranks through aggressive tuition discounts and inflated faculty counts, yet it faced difficulties maintaining stability, with bar passage rates lagging. The pursuit of ranking improvements led to strategic and sometimes controversial measures, which was evident in other university sectors too.

Sasse's resignation raised questions, especially amid audits into financial spending and administrative choices during his tenure. Though his initiatives focused on transforming public education, they faced pushback, leading the university to revert to its previous administration, aiming to stabilize and reclaim its ranking. The law school notably saw an increase in bar passage rates, marking a silver lining amid the administrative shifts.