The best place to live? Some of Ben Sasse's UF cabinet members don't reside in state
Several members of University of Florida President Ben Sasse’s leadership team have no plans to move to Alachua County, The Gainesville Sun has confirmed.
In fact, they don’t even intend to live in the Sunshine State.
UF announced last month the creation of an almost $400,000 vice president role that would work to implement pre-kindergarten through 12th-grade and pre-bachelor education programs in schools around Florida. The announcement also came with the news that Penny Schwinn, the former Tennessee commissioner of education, would lead the initiative.
What UF failed to disclose, however, is that Schwinn, despite an impressive resume and long list of accomplishments, would do much of that work part time and from afar.
UF officials have ignored or skirted around several questions throughout The Sun’s quest for clarification of Schwinn’s new role over a two-week period, including interview requests, where exactly she will reside during employment and how often she is expected to come to Florida. The Sun later learned she intends to stay in Tennessee for the time being.
“As a mom with school-aged children, Dr. Schwinn is spending about three-quarters of her time working on UF projects and is currently determining the best situation for her kids mid-school year,” wrote UF spokeswoman Cynthia Roldan in an email. “Her collaborative work with our partners across the state will have her regularly traveling to Gainesville and to school districts across Florida.”
Schwinn isn’t alone.
James Wegmann, UF’s vice president for communications, lives and works out of D.C. and Raymond Sass (no relation to Ben Sasse), vice president for innovation and partnerships, lives and works out of Maryland.
Both previously worked with Sasse while he was a U.S. senator.
Wegmann was Sasse’s former communications director and press secretary. His new role oversees the Office of Strategic Communications and Marketing.
Sass previously served as chief of staff for the former senator and director of MBA at Midland University while Sasse was president of the school. His new role focuses on strategic value creation for UF to improve student learning and life change. Officials say he works on leveraging technology and partnerships to provide outcomes across multiple university initiatives.
While there are no residency requirements for any of the jobs, the rest of Sasse’s cabinet members live in Alachua County.
“This isn't unusual for an enterprise of UF's scope and stature,” Roldan said. “It’s 2023, and we're able to excel with big-cause, low-ego teams that are constantly working at an elite level using common technology that allows them to be effective from anywhere.”
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Wegmann’s distant role also raises additional questions about Sasse’s strategy to fend off local media or not meet with local political leaders.
Some also question how Schwinn in her new role will effectively expand programs into schools without being local. The 41-year-old has been supportive of banning critical race theory in schools, calling it “propaganda.”
When first hired, UF said she would help expand space and aeronautics throughout all grade levels, provide better access to college-level work to high school students, support college readiness and further partnerships with charter schools.
Her experience in education has led Schwinn to several high-level positions throughout her career, including serving as Delaware’s assistant secretary of education. She holds administration and teaching credentials, and several certificates in administration, education and management, some being from Harvard Business School and the University of Southern California.
This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Some top UF officials hired by Ben Sasse don't live in Florida
