What’s New
Benjamin E. Sasse, former president of the University of Florida, spent unjustified amounts of money on university salaries, events, and contracts, with little to show for the expenses, according to a report the state’s auditor general released Tuesday.
The university failed to show how any of the expenses detailed in the report benefited the university, the auditor wrote. That included $6.4 million in contracts with outside consultants, about $900,000 in food catering, and flights totaling about $159,000 for 13 remote employees who reported to Sasse.
The report says the university didn’t “document the reasonableness” of maintaining Sasse’s more than $1-million salary after he stepped down from the presidency in July 2024. He now serves as a part-time professor and an adviser to the university’s trustees.
In a seven-page response to the audit, the university’s general counsel, Ryan R. Fuller, defended many of Sasse’s expenditures but said the university has made changes to its policies on chartered flights, administrator hiring, and consulting contracts.
Sasse did not respond to a request for comment Tuesday afternoon. In a 1,700-word post on X last August, Sasse defended his spending as “investing” in necessary higher-education reforms.
The Details
Sasse’s office spent $14.8 million during the year he was in office, about 72 percent more than his predecessor did the year before.
Among the top payments was a $6.4-million contract with McKinsey & Company, a consulting firm meant to help the university chart a path forward. Neither university records nor employees could show the contract’s benefits to the auditor general’s office, according to the report.
Going forward, university contracts that exceed $100,000 must be approved by the president, chief financial officer, and university general counsel, Fuller wrote in his response.
During his short 17-month tenure, Sasse hired 24 employees who held 38 different administrative positions. Several of those employees worked remotely, incurring large reimbursements for travel to the university.
Fourteen of those positions didn’t include job descriptions, and 19 salaries exceeded market averages for the same duties.
One of Sasse’s remote hires was Penny Schwinn, the university’s first vice president for PK-12 and pre-bachelor’s programs, who served less than a year in her position. She earned a salary of $367,500 and incurred about $17,500 in expenses that were paid for by the university, primarily for work travel, according to records The Chronicle obtained via an open-records request. Schwinn has since been nominated by President Trump to serve as deputy secretary in the U.S. Department of Education.
Sasse’s responsibilities in his adviser position “appear to be significantly less in scope” than those of the president, according to the auditor’s report, and “the public purpose of such a salary is not readily apparent.”
The university attributed Sasse’s salary to a five-year contract it had entered upon hiring him, Fuller wrote. It also noted that about 80 percent of the salary comes from non-state funds, in accordance with state law that caps presidential salaries.
Sasse also spent about $376,000 on flights chartered through the University Athletic Association. The average trip cost $16,820, and one canceled trip cost $23,405.
Other expenses include an hour-long holiday party featuring hot chocolate, cider, peppermint chocolates, and cookies that cost $62,650; a two-hour holiday party for university employees that cost $169,755; and an invitation-only football tailgate that cost about $46,000.
The university has since ended presidential pregames and the annual holiday party, Fuller noted.
The Backdrop
Sasse, a former Republican U.S. senator from Nebraska, drew controversy over his closed-door nomination as the “sole candidate” for UF’s presidency in October 2022. Critics said his nomination amounted to overreach by the state’s Republican-led Legislature into the running of its flagship research institution.
Many of Sasse’s cabinet members had worked with him in Congress, including James Wegmann, his former communications director. Wegmann has since left his communications position at UF, according to a university memo on February 4.
Sasse resigned unexpectedly in July 2024, citing his wife’s health concerns in an email to students and staff. Soon after, the campus newspaper reported on his expenses, which prompted pressure for the state to audit the figures.
What to Watch For
The university appointed Sasse’s predecessor, W. Kent Fuchs, as interim president while it searches for its next leader.
Meanwhile, the state’s public colleges have continued a trend of installing politicians in their presidencies. Last week, Florida International University’s Board of Trustees tapped the state’s lieutenant governor, Jeanette Nuñez, as its new president. Then on Monday, Florida Atlantic University’s board selected Adam Hasner, a former Republican legislator who served as majority leader in Florida’s House of Representatives, to lead the campus.
