Location: The Merrimon-Wynne House, 500 N Blount St, Raleigh, NC 27604
Special Guests: Reception with NC Legislative Leaders

Stop Following and Start Thinking: A Conversation with Ben Sasse.

Benjamin Eric Sasse is an American academic administrator and former politician who is the president of the University of Florida. He served as a United States senator from Nebraska from 2015 to 2023 and is a member of the Republican Party.

Born in Plainview, Nebraska, Sasse holds a bachelor's degree in government from Harvard University, a Master of Arts in liberal studies from St. John's College and master's and doctoral degrees in American history from Yale University. He has taught at the University of Texas and served as an assistant secretary in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. In 2010, Sasse was named the 15th president of Midland University in Fremont, Nebraska.

In 2014, Sasse ran for a vacant seat in the U.S. Senate. He defeated Democratic nominee David Domina, 65% to 31%. In 2020, Sasse was reelected. On February 13, 2021, Sasse was one of seven Republican senators to vote to convict Donald Trump of incitement of insurrection in his second impeachment trial.

Sasse resigned from the Senate on January 8, 2023, to succeed Kent Fuchs as president of the University of Florida.