Former UF President BENJAMIN ERIC SASSE gets to retain a million dollar a year salary through 2028? Are you kidding us? I suspect that FBI agents may be interviewing BENJAMIN ERIC SASSE and his absentee employees soon. Do you reckon that this scandalous GQP political patronage scheme and accompanying waste of state tax funds belies any Florida GQP pretense to "conservativism?" From Gainesville Sun:
University of Florida terminates several Sasse GOP allies following his resignation
At least six political allies of former University of Florida President Ben Sasse have been terminated by the university following his abrupt departure in July.
While Sasse announced on July 18 that he would resign his position after just 17 months on the job, questions have remained about the job status of those he brought with him to Gainesville from his time as a Republican Nebraska Senator in Washington., D.C.
The Sun, through a public records request, obtained the personnel files for eight of those individuals, including six of his former Senate staffers and two former Republican officials.
Records show two of Sasse's three former Senate staff members hired by the university in mid-March 2023 to serve as advisers to the president received courtesy notices that their temporary appointments would not be renewed, and that they will both continue to work remotely through Nov. 1. Kari Ridder, who lives in Nebraska, has an annual salary of $122,400. Kelicia Rice, who lives in Virginia, has an annual salary of $138,000.
Past coverage:The best place to live? Some of Ben Sasse's UF cabinet members don't reside in state
A third staffer, Raven Shirley, initially was hired as a transition adviser but was promoted on May 8 to an executive assistant position with an annual salary of $126,000. Shirley received a notice of non-reappointment on July 31 with her last day on Aug. 1. Under a university regulation that requires three months' notice of termination, Shirley will be paid a lump sum of three months' salary, or $31,500.
Also receiving notices of non-reappointment were Penny Schwinn, UF's first vice president of PK-12 and pre-bachelor programs; Alice James Burns, director of presidential relations and major events; and Taylor Silva, assistant vice president of presidential communications and public affairs.
Schwinn, a Republican, previously served as Tennessee's education commissioner and was hired by UF in September 2023 to carry out a series of initiatives throughout Florida’s K-12 schools. Schwinn, who was paid an annual salary of $367,500, worked remotely from Tennessee during her brief stint at UF.
erhaps her most controversial initiative came to the forefront in March when she recommended that UF's P.K. Yonge Developmental Research School, which has a history of maintaining a student population that's representative of Florida's racial and income demographics, move to a selective admissions process. The idea behind the proposal was to help propel the K-12 school, specifically the high school, into the top 10 in the state.
Schwinn's last day at the university was July 31. She will be paid a lump sum of $91,875.
Burns, who previously worked for Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-South Carolina, was paid an annual salary at UF of $205,000. Her final day at the university was July 31 and, like Schwinn and Shirley, she will receive a lump some payment of three months' pay, or about $51,000.
Silva, Sasse's former Senate press secretary, was hired as UF's first assistant vice president of presidential communications of public affairs. His salary was set at $225,000. He also was provided a $15,000 relocation payment. Silva's last day with the university was Aug. 6, and he will receive a lump sum payment of $56,250.
When asked Thursday about the terminations, UF spokesperson Steve Orlando said, "We don't discuss personnel matters."
Two of Sasse's former Senate staff members — Raymond Sass and James Wegmann — both had no letter of non-reappointment in their personnel files and appear to still be employed by the university.
Sass was hired on Sept. 20, 2023, as the university's first vice president for innovation and partnerships with a salary of $396,000. Wegmann, Sasse's former Senate communications director, was appointed by Sasse on the same date to the position of vice president of communications. Wegmann, who works remotely from his home in Washington, D.C., remains on the president's cabinet website with an annual salary of $432,000.
Sasse's unexpected resignation in July because of his wife's health stunned the university community. The board of trustees quickly named Sasse's predecessor, Kent Fuchs, who served as UF president from 2015 to 2023, to the interim position.
Sasse has since come under fire following a report by The Independent Florida Alligator that he "more than tripled his office’s spending, directing millions in university funds into secretive consulting contracts and high-paying positions for his GOP allies."
The Alligator reported that because all but one of Sasse's staff members for UF worked outside of Florida, "travel expenses for the president’s office soared to $633,000 — more than 20 times higher than Fuchs’ annual average of $28,000."
Florida Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis has called on the state university system to investigate Sasse's spending, saying his office would "offer auditing support."
Sasse defended himself in a post on X, calling the allegations of inappropriate spending "not true" and that "there was substantial funding for a number of important new initiatives."
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