UF President Ben Sasse suddenly announced he was resigning. Here's what else we know.

Late Thursday night University of Florida President Ben Sasse made an unexpected announcement that he would be stepping down from his position, effective at the end of this month. Here's what we know so far about the situation:

Why is Ben Sasse leaving?

Sasse cited his wife's recent diagnosis with epilepsy as his reason for stepping down. He said that his priorities needed to be focused on the needs of his family as well as on being a husband and father, which he said is difficult to do while also handling the responsibility of being UF president.

In a post on X, Sasse said Melissa suffered an aneurysm and a series of strokes in 2007 but "made an incredible comeback." However, her diagnosis of epilepsy in recent months has caused her to struggle with "a new batch of memory issues," and after much discussion the decision was made that Sasse would step down.

Is there any other reason?

Neither UF nor Sasse has disclosed any other reason for his resignation.

When does this take effect?

His resignation is effective July 31.

Were there any signs?

There were no mentions of Sasse resigning and this came as an unexpected shock to many.

Who will take over in the meantime?

This is still unknown.

The Independent Florida Alligator reported that Kent Fuchs, UF president before Sasse, is expected to serve as interim president. However, nothing released by UF states this and the university has not made any further comment.

Who will become the next UF president?

This is also still unknown. A UF News release said "the board (of trustees) will work quickly and thoughtfully to announce an interim president and lay the foundation for the search for a new president."

When contacted by The Sun, UF spokesperson Cynthia Roldán said the school has no information to add at this time.

Will Sasse still be around?

Yes. According to his post on X (formerly known as Twitter), Sasse will stick around campus as president emeritus and professor, continuing to teach classes.

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When was this initiated?

Sasse's post on X said that he asked UF Board of Trustees Chairman Mori Hosseini and the board on Thursday to initiate a search for a new president.

How long has Ben Sasse been UF president?

Sasse's tenure was formally announced in October 2022 and his (what was supposed to be five-year) term began in February 2023.

What is known about his family?

Sasse and his wife, Melissa, have two college-age daughters and a son who is just turning 13. They live in the Dasburg House on UF campus, where a project to build a $300,000 pool was started after he moved in.

The Sun and Fresh Take Florida previously reported that university Spokesman Steve Orlando, said Sasse did not ask for the pool to be built and provided no input over its design. There were plans to build a pool at the Dasburg House while former President Kent Fuchs lived there, but these plans were stalled. Fuchs and his wife were involved and requested the pool to have certain features, The Sun previously reported.

What will the search process for a new president be like?

Senate Bill 520, which remains in effect, allowed UF to conduct most of the prior nationwide search behind closed doors without following Florida’s open meetings and public records laws.

Since this law is still in effect, it is possible the next search process will be similar. This caused much controversy when Sasse was chosen as sole finalists, as many students, faculty and staff believed there was a lack of transparency in the search.

This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: UF President Ben Sasse resigning. What we know so far: