Ben Sasse is an American academic, author, and former politician who served as a U.S. senator from Nebraska from 2015 to 2023. Before entering politics, Sasse held academic and administrative roles, including serving as president of Midland University in Nebraska. In 2023, he became president of the University of Florida, returning to his roots in higher education leadership. Despite battling stage-four pancreatic cancer, he remains steadfast in his commitment to making each remaining moment of his life meaningful. ACTA is beyond grateful for the ability to present this conversation between Ben Sasse and Mitch Daniels, President Emeritus of Purdue University and former governor of Indiana.
This conversation took place as part of the 2025-2026 series of the Levy Forum for Open Discourse. The Levy Forum is a speaker series hosted at the Palm Beach Synagogue and sponsored by Paul Levy and the American Council of Trustees and Alumni. The goal of these events is to promote the epistemic virtues that ACTA seeks to promote on university campuses across the country, such as curiosity, objectivity, and wisdom.
Launched in 1995, we are the only organization that works with alumni, donors, trustees, and education leaders across the United States to support liberal arts education, uphold high academic standards, safeguard the free exchange of ideas on campus, and ensure that the next generation receives an intellectually rich, high-quality college education at an affordable price.
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