Gabrielle Russon
Mori Hosseini is fiercely defending Santa Ono, the controversial lone finalist for the open University of Florida president job.
“He is the right person to accelerate UF’s upward trajectory and help make it the undisputed leader among America’s public universities,” Hosseini, who chairs the UF Board of Trustees, and Trustee Vice Chair Rahul Patel wrote in an email Thursday to alumni. “The Search Committee unanimously selected Dr. Ono because of his exceptional academic credentials, his principled leadership, and his demonstrated ability to drive meaningful, positive change. He is a builder — and the University of Florida is on the move. UF has never had more momentum.”
They called Ono “one of the most respected academic leaders in the world.”
Ono is facing criticism from the left for shutting down the University of Michigan’s DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) and his handling of pro-Palestinian protests.
But Ono is also angering conservatives, including U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds, who is running for Governor.
“UF needs to go back and figure out somebody else,” Donalds said, criticizing Ono for a 2023 speech praising DEI.
In their email to Gator Nation Thursday, the UF trustees rebutted the narrative that Ono is too liberal to lead Florida’s flagship university.
“Recently, a handful of external voices have sought to question Dr. Ono’s alignment with Florida’s vision for higher education. Dr. Ono is not shifting his views to fit Florida. He has been evolving his perspective over time — before UF ever approached him about this role,” their email said. “He brings a decisive break from the progressive orthodoxy that has gripped too many elite campuses — one that UF has resisted and risen above. He recognized the toll that ideological excess was taking — on campus culture, academic standards, and institutional trust — and made a clear and courageous choice: enough is enough.”
One person who doesn’t need convincing about hiring Ono?
Gov. Ron DeSantis.
DeSantis said he backs Ono and supports the trustees who picked him.
“I trust the people that were involved in that process. They were trustees that I’ve appointed, that have performed exemplary for the state of Florida in those capacities,” DeSantis said earlier this month.
