Ben Sasse’s decision to step down as the University of Florida president after just 17 months must have shocked the community. Unlike some of his former political colleagues who have left jobs to “spend more time with their families” — typically for unspecified reasons — Sasse has been transparent in sharing his commitment to his wife as she faces serious health challenges. He takes his vow of “in sickness and in health” seriously. We wish them only the best.

Sasse is honest with himself when he writes that his two callings, husband/dad and university president, “are significantly at odds with each other. Gator Nation needs a president who can keep charging hard, Melissa deserves a husband who can pull his weight, and my kids need a dad who can be home many more nights.”

The modern university presidency is an all-consuming position — even more so for presidents of public flagship institutions such as the University of Florida. Even by today’s standards, it is an enormous institution with more than 55,000 students, nearly 15,000 academic and administrative staff, and an operating budget of more than $5.4 billion. Leading it is more than a full-time job.

When Sasse was appointed, we were interviewed by several news outlets and wrote an opinion piece for Higher Ed Dive titled, “Ben Sasse hit the jackpot with his University of Florida contract.” We noted,

“One of the most unusual features of his contract is the terms for a post-presidential faculty appointment. In those states where such appointments are permitted, the specific terms are always specified within the initial contract. These typically include a transition sabbatical at full presidential pay, a predetermined salary and almost always tenure (assuming the president holds a terminal degree). None of these terms are in Sasse’s contract. Rather, he is guaranteed an appointment as a full-time faculty member ‘in an appropriate rank and academic department with the specific arrangement for his post-presidency faculty appointment, assignment and salary being subject to the approval of the Board Chair.’ ”

According to a university news release, Sasse “will transition to teaching and advisory role,” and the current board chairperson, Mori Hosseini, will determine his compensation and assignment. Sasse’s contract requires only that the “board shall be promptly notified” of the chairperson’s decision and that “approval shall not be unreasonably withheld, taking into account the best interests of the university.”

With our research on presidential contracts, we have reviewed more than 300 employment agreements over the past 15 years. We’ve found that postpresidential compensation based on contract completion typically is set in one of two ways: as a percentage of the president’s base salary — most often 75% or in relation to faculty salaries, most often in their home discipline, where they would be guaranteed a salary equivalent to the highest-paid of their peers.

By training, Sasse is a historian. He received his doctorate from Yale in 2004. His dissertation was titled “The anti-Madalyn majority: Secular left, religious right, and the rise of Reagan’s America.” It was 450 pages long and included a 15-page bibliography. His major adviser was the chairperson of Yale’s history department. With this as a starting point, we looked at the salaries of history professors at the University of Florida.

As of November 2022, about the same time Sasse assumed the presidency, there were 29 faculty members in the department. Of those, 10 are listed as full professors. The highest-paid among the group was Nancy Hunt, with an academic-year salary of $161,293. Last year, she taught one course per semester in the department.

Given the focus of Sasse’s dissertation, we also checked the salaries for professors in the religion department, which has 13 faculty members. There are four full professors and one with the title of Distinguished Professor — Vasudha Narayanan. Her salary is listed as $199,379. Last year, she taught three courses.

As we said at the outset, we understand why Sasse is stepping down as president. No job should take precedence over family. However, given the unusual language of his contract, and that he served only 17 months of a 60-month contract, we are curious about what Hosseini will decide regarding Sasse’s assignment and salary.

If, for example, the board chairperson uses 75% of Sasse’s base salary as his faculty salary, Sasse will earn more than four times the salary of the highest-paid faculty member in the history department and more than three times Professor Narayanan. We’ll be surprised if Hosseini decides on a salary 80% less than Sasse made as president, giving him a full teaching load.

Then, there are questions about what will happen to some of the other benefits in his presidential contract, such as his accrued retention payment. It appears that this will be paid to him on a prorated basis — perhaps as much as $300,000. It also appears that he will receive the first annual performance bonus, which could be an additional $200,000. He may be entitled to an accrued vacation payout. He also appears eligible for a supplemental retirement contribution for his partial year of service. That’s a substantial severance package for someone who voluntarily resigns having completed less than half their contract.

This is a personal tragedy for the Sasse family. Sadly, we suspect they are not the only University of Florida community members who face serious health or other crises. We hope the University of Florida Board of Trustees will be as generous in supporting those faculty and staff as they likely are being for Ben Sasse.

Judith Wilde is research professor of public policy and James Finkelstein is professor emeritus of public policy at the Schar School of Policy and Government at George Mason University. Their research focuses on university presidents.