Sasse’s nomination offers insights into democracy, academia

Oct. 6 was a normal day for Senate Republicans – until it wasn’t. The morning of busy schedules and legislative considerations was quickly interrupted as news broke that Sen. Ben Sasse (R-Neb.) was selected as the sole finalist by the University of Florida’s presidential search committee for the 13th president of the university.

Fast forward to this past Tuesday, Nov. 1, the Florida Board of Governors and UF’s board of trustees unanimously supported Sasse’s selection as faculty and students protested the choice. In a press release from the university after the committee’s recommendation, Sasse cited quality academics and the core principles of shared governance and academic freedom as reasons enticing his departure.

He also added, “I’m thrilled about the opportunity to work alongside one of the nation’s most outstanding faculties.”

Sasse’s attraction to UF is an intriguing political development. However, Sasse’s departure from the Senate also serves as a referendum on our political landscape—offering essential questions on the present state of our democracy, where we are headed and what our nation should strive to be.

Sasse’s political rise to the United States Senate is built on his experience as the 15th president of Midland Lutheran College. After joining Midland at 37, during his tenure as president, the college grew from an enrollment of 590 students to 1,300. Sasse’s political profile is slightly atypical for the modern Republican. Though he maintains a majority of traditional Republican views on social issues, he does not represent the dogmatic, Boebert-Gaetz wing of the GOP.

He brings a reasonable, principled approach – one governed by the Constitution, country and faith. Most notably, Sasse has been famously outspoken against former President Trump, voting to certify Arizona’s and Pennsylvania’s electoral votes in the 2020 presidential election and joining six Republican senators in voting to convict Trump on Feb. 13, 2021.

On a fundraising call weeks before the 2020 election, Sasse criticized Trump’s candidacy for the presidency outright, stating, “The debate is not going to be, “‘Ben Sasse, why were you so mean to Donald Trump?’” He continued, “It’s going to be, ‘What the heck were any of us thinking, that selling a TV-obsessed, narcissistic individual to the American people was a good idea?’”

Further, of the 10 House Republicans and seven senators who voted to convict Trump at his second Jan. 6 impeachment trial, only two representatives and four senators plan to return after the midterm elections. This shift in the composition of Congress marks a change in tides for the Republican party. Additionally, this year features the departures of—for Senate standards—comparatively young Republican Senators: Missouri’s Roy Blunt (72), Ohio’s Rob Portman (66), North Carolina’s Richard M. Burr (66) and Pennsylvania’s Patrick J. Toomey (60).

These numbers, and the exodus of rejectors of the “big lie” from Congress are emblematic of the state of the modern Republican party. If Republicans in Congress cannot dissent from party figureheads, Republican voters nationwide ought to consider whether they are supporting a democracy or an autocracy.

If Sasse, a Republican with primarily traditional views on social issues, cannot criticize the status quo and seek innovation, Republican leadership ought to also consider who their party is attracting – both in voters and in candidates. In response to Sasse’s recommendation, the UF Student Senate unanimously passed a resolution Tuesday condemning the presidential search committee and Student Body President Lauren Lemasters’ nomination.

In addition, over 200 UF students gathered in Emerson Hall to protest and disrupt the selection. Though I do not support many of Sasse’s views, the coverage reminds us of last Spring’s selection of President Bruess and the questions and reactions to college president selection committees. Sasse’s selection offers a snapshot into what occurs when academic leadership and student bodies fracture on political lines.

Maybe we should consider if similar scenes to UF would have spread through Collegeville and St. Joseph if former Republican Rep.Mark Kennedy ’79 was selected to lead the institutions as the first Joint President? The Sasse snapshot offers a lens into the current state of partisanship, institutional structures and academia.

The future of the Republican party, democracy and academia are all at a crossroads, and we must monitor them closely. I hope our nation—both with national and local leaders—puts dialogue, decency and innovation at the forefront of our considerations for years to come.