Former top University of Florida official fired by Sasse hired at prestigious Caltech

A top University of Florida official who in April was fired by President Ben Sasse now finds himself with one of the premier schools in the country.

The California Institute of Technology (Caltech) announced Monday that Charlie Lane was named the school's vice president and chief operating officer, the same position he held at UF for nearly a decade.

Caltech, located in Pasadena just outside Los Angeles, is home to NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), part of which Lane will oversee in his new position.

"In this pivotal role, Charlie will bring his extensive administrative success in higher education to enhance Caltech's operations; forge and sustain a culture of rigorous planning and effective execution; oversee campus finances and the JPL budget; and emphasize a diverse and inclusive work environment," Caltech President Thomas F. Rosenbaum said in an email announcement. "Charlie will serve as a strategic partner to the president, provost, division chairs, and his senior leadership colleagues, and will work closely with JPL leadership and several Board of Trustees committees."

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Lane will join Caltech on Oct. 9, and will oversee the management of Caltech's facilities, human resources, business and finance, audit and compliance, and information and the management systems and services divisions.

Since Lane's departure

Caltech, an independent and privately supported school, is tied for seventh among all universities in U.S. News and World Report's 2024 college rankings, while UF is tied for 28th. Since Lane's departure, UF slipped to No. 6 among all public universities, though the school is now attempting to steer away from using the list as a metric for its success.

In the Wall Street Journal's latest rankings, UF is ranked 15th nationally, three spots ahead of Caltech at 18. WSJ, however, places UF at No. 1 among public universities. The school placed banners around the campus to celebrate the title, though most of the banners have been stolen, the Independent Florida Alligator newspaper reported.

"The faculty, students, and staff on campus and at JPL embody the essence of this extraordinary Institute," Lane said in the email announcement. "I look forward to joining the Caltech community and, together with my new colleagues on campus and at JPL, facilitating its transformative work in meaningful ways."

Lane's move across the country comes less than five months after Sasse — just two months into his presidency — sent out an email announcing that Lane was no longer with the university.

"I want to let you know that we've made a change in the leadership of UF's operation," Sasse, a former Republican Nebraska senator, wrote in the April 26 email. "Effective today, Charlie Lane, chief operating officer, is no longer with the University of Florida."

The email gave no reason for Lane's sudden exit. It also failed to recognize his time with UF and any of his accomplishments, such as leading the university to become a top five public institution in the country.

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Lane's responsibilities at UF included information technology, human resources, audits, business and real estate. He also was the leader in bridging a relationship between the school and city of Gainesville.

UF has launched a national search for Lane's replacement but has yet to announce any candidates. In the interim, Sasse in April said UF's Vice President for Business Affairs Curtis Reynolds and Associate Vice President for Enterprise Projects Colt Little would split the duties that Lane was responsible for.

Community members and students had long suspected that Sasse would come in and shake up the university, though much of those concerns revolved around political influence. His arrival in February was met with large student and faculty protests, mainly for a secretive search process and for Sasse’s past statements on same-sex marriage. He vowed not to allow his political ideologies to interfere with how he runs UF.

This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Former UF VP Charlie Lane fired by Ben Sasse hired at Caltech