The University of Florida’s board of trustees voted unanimously Tuesday to name U.S. Sen. Ben Sasse as the flagship school’s 13th president after weeks of growing criticism over his views on LGBTQ issues and a national search conducted largely in secret.
Sasse, a Nebraska Republican whose name emerged in early October as the sole finalist for the job, became the subject of protests and calls for action.
The trustees’ vote followed an impassioned opening statement by Sasse, who emphasized the university’s role in preparing students for a work world altered by “scary disruption” but one that presented “magnificent opportunity” for the university. Students graduating in May, he said, will change jobs or industries at least three times over the next decade, and the university needs to be better prepared to retrain people as they “boomerang back through our institution.”
