Sasse responds to report on university expenses: ‘Not true’

Former University of Florida President Ben Sasse responded to reports that he inappropriately spent the university’s funds during his brief stint in leadership.

“Now, it is true that there was substantial funding for a number of important new initiatives. I am very happy to defend each and every one of these initiatives,” Sasse wrote Friday in a lengthy post on the social platform X.

He added, “the whole reason I agreed to leave a great job representing the salt-of-the-earth people of my home state of Nebraska is precisely because higher education needs massive reform.”

The former Republican senator left his seat representing Nebraska in 2023 to lead the University of Florida. After a year and a half in the job, Sasse abruptly exited the role in mid-July, citing his wife’s health issues.

His comments follow a report published Monday by the Independent Florida Alligator, the university’s student newspaper, that found he increased spending threefold during his tenure. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) has since called on the state university system to investigate Sasse’s use of funds.

In his statement, Sasse fiercely defended his spending, writing that the expenditures were approved by the university’s board of trustees, system’s board of governors and the university’s audit committee.

He detailed several policies he planned to instate using the funds, including reforms to the school’s core curriculum, space-industry partnerships and authorizing K-12 charter programs across the state.

“These are initiatives we were running out of the president’s office – and there should be even more – and I am dang proud of each of them, as I believe they will benefit Floridians immensely if brought to fruition,” the former senator wrote.

Much of the spending increases were associated with expensive new hires, including consulting firms and Sasse’s former Senate aids, according to the Alligator. Sasse conceded that he made the hires but defended the decisions as a means of enacting his planned initiatives.

“Yes, I persuaded almost a dozen folks who had worked with me in one or more of my last three jobs, both in and out of politics, to join in this important work — as basically all arriving CEOs do,” Sasse wrote.

“One of my preconditions in agreeing to accept this calling was being able to bring big-cause, trusted people from my last few teams along to help build a stronger, more dynamic UF – and happily, the board and selection committee embraced this,” he added.

Sasse explained that he had tried to tighten spending, noting a proposal he made to consolidate the school’s 200 academic programs. He added that the proposal was “one of my more unpopular 2023 proposals.” The former university leader drew national attention earlier this year for gutting the university’s diversity, equity and inclusion programs and shutting down its diversity office.

As debate continues whether the spending was justified, Sasse said he will “write a broader memo” for the governor’s office about his approach.

“I welcome both a debate about the merits of these reform initiatives, and an audit of UF’s expenditures,” he concluded.