Ben Sasse next UF president?

I haven't seen any Social Responsibility practices that would prevent a university president from holding private views that are in conflict with stated HR policies. Only if he pushed the university to follow his views would we run into problems. I don't believe he will push the university to follow his views. Much like Machen, I think he will hold his political views generally to himself and in public do what is best for UF. And if he doesn't, I hope he is quickly replaced.

 

Others were considered, but the state has weird laws about what information is made public when finalists are announced, and most of the time the final decision is made and the other finalists withdraw their names from consideration before the deadline that would make much of that information public. Probably could make a case that this violates the law, but also allows us to interview higher quality candidates.

 

I’m not talking about them having to hear Spencer, protest idiots like that all day. I was speaking to the more general idea that any speaker who presents a different viewpoint seems to be shouted down, or never even allowed to come. And it happens both ways. And that’s what Sasse was speaking to.

Samford disinvites historian Jon Meacham after student anti-abortion protest. I think he was eventually allowed to come after blowback.

UChicago Professor’s MIT Lecture Canceled After DEI Opinions Spark National Controversy
The idea that race based policy is wrong should be allowed to be discussed, even if you disagree.

there are countless other examples as well.

 

The marketplace of ideas as part of First Amendment jurisprudence and some decisions. But I think that real life has shown us that truth does not prevail, at least on any reasonable timeframe. Disinformation, even if countered, becomes embedded. And it's harmful. I'm not sure what I'm advocating for legally. It's a difficult balance and I'm not sure there's that much flexibility anyway given our culture. But I do think that we should no longer be Panglossian and believe that truth will ultimately prevail if all sides are given a hearing. I don't think that's true at all

 

Others were definitely considered, according to the search committee’s announcement they considered hundreds of applicants and focused on 12 front runners, including 9 sitting presidents of major research universities, but unanimously recommended Sasse.

Him being “the only finalist” is because UF is a public institution subject to public records laws, but only has to disclose information about finalists, so the only “finalist” is the person they want to hire because the other applicants don’t want it out there that they were trying to get this job.

 

They do if people are buying it. That's the problem. There's a strong market for the idea equivalent of dogsh*t or vomit

 

I reject the notion that free speech means I have to shut up and let some other person preach hate. If myself and a bunch of fellow Jews want to use our free speech rights to drown out a Neo-Nazi, why should our speech be subordinated to his? The fact that society imposes a social cost to being part of these hate groups and seeks to deter them from spreading their message is a good thing. Free speech protects my ability to loudly put a stop to a Neo-Nazi spreading hate to the same extent it protects his ability to spread that hate.

 

Considering the number of committees he has sat on in his seven years as a senator:
Finance, budget, intelligence and cyber to name a few.
Sasse most likely has made ample networking connections to bring in top dollar research money to UF.

When the call comes in and the secretary says "former US senator and current president of the university of Florida is on line one.. " I wholely believe that call will be taken.

 

I would consider myself a centrist, and I find him pretty far right of me generally....so I agree with you there. But I also don't necessarily care about that in regard to him handling this job. I tend to think he recognizes and can seperate his personal beliefs from his role as President. Remains to be seen I know.
As for being qualified, I disagree with those that feel the role must be filled by someone primarily from the academic world. This guy is smart, I don't think that is debatable. He is politically savvy, crucial for this job. IMO he will kill it in the fundraising arena. I think it will be crucial that his direct reports are strong and can fill gaps where he may be lacking in experience.....but isn't that true of almost anyone? I suppose there is a unicorn out there that is perfect in every regard, but doesn't like like the unicorn apllied for the slot.
As to GOP meddling...I'm not sure I have a feel for how Desantis even views the guy. I'm sure they can work together, which is a plus for UF. But my gut tells me the governor might have preferred a generic candidate that he could bully a bit, and I don't think Sasse is that guy.

 

The argument for him is pretty simple. If we presume that the primary job description of the current University President of a large public university is fundraising with donors and the state legislature, then Sasse arguably has a stronger academic background than most people you would find that would be good fundraisers. It's not a super strong academic background, but it's likely better than a lot of the good fundraisers


If you view the job description is primarily being an academic leader, he's obviously not qualified.


I was okay with him, figuring that he was likely the best we could get under job description number one. But as I subsequently posted, I understand students having a big problem with having an unrepentant homophobe as University Leader. He still will not even say that gay marriage should be legal. Even if we assume that there are other areas in gender politics that are more debatable, that should not be an acceptable belief for someone leading a large public university with over 35,000 students in a state of 21 million people.

In terms of being someone who can bring in research dollars, I'm sure the hard sciences are not comfortable with a University President who thinks that government has no role in resolving the largest natural threat to mankind, global warming. I'm sure he would be different in practice - that such an absurd intellectually indefensible position, I'm assuming it's just throat clearing - somewhat akin to our governor being against federal emergency relief funding until our state needs it.

But that's literally a philosophy that undermines the role of the large public research university - providing valuable research knowledge for the public benefit.

 

Thousands wanted to hear Sasse speak yesterday, including those who don’t agree with him - alumni, students and other folks too (myself included). But 50 people managed to stop it, it had to be moved to another building.
To the broader question, if even 1 percent of students had been interested in whatever they were protesting, it would have been a small minority relative to those interested that stopped it.
And the first example I have above was a historian, there to talk history, but was black listed because of his social views.

That’s the kind of garbage I’m talking about.

 

This is the challenge with rejecting the marketplace of ideas approach to speech.

Yes, there are likely things said everyday that have little to no actual societal value. But that doesn’t mean that we should go to the flip-side where those who can be the loudest, or are willing to be the most disruptive, get to decide what everyone else should be allowed to hear.

And while I certainly understand and support their right to protest, I suspect there were far more people interested in hearing what the likely next president of the university had to say - including in response to tough questions - than there were people interested in hearing a handful of misguided 20 year olds with a bullhorn chant the same thing they chant at every protest they hold.

 

I honestly don't give a rats ass what the students think. They will be in and out of university life in 4/5 yrs.

 

That is the point though. Machen, Fuchs even Lombardi, no one knew the private held views and none of them were documented all over the internet. As a public figure as first an empty suit bureaucrat, then a United States Senator, his personal views, which will color his decisions where it overtly or not, are public record. You cannot walk that stuff back. Even if there is never any policy or action taken in accordance with those personally held views (which is impossible to believe during what will undoubtedly be a short tenure).

I respect that you hold the opinion that I am wrong about this (and, I do not agree with it myself). I am not not attempting to convince you otherwise. I am telling you about something that I have already seen happen, not some hyperbolic fiction that has no roots in reality.

 

Many times there are high quality candidates who don't want it publicly known they are looking for a new job. This change allows them to be considered. I think we get a better candidate pool with this change and am glad that it was made.