UF trustees appoint Santa Ono as next university President

University of Florida trustees have hired Santa Ono, outgoing President of the University of Michigan, as the school’s new President.

“I am thankful for, and humbled by, the unanimous support of the Board of Trustees. The energy here at the University of Florida is palpable, and I am eager to join the wonderful students, faculty and staff of the Gator Nation,” Ono said in a statement. “I’m excited by the prospect of being part of such an exceptional institution that is so clear-eyed in its purpose. Let’s go do great things together.”

Trustees unanimously voted to appoint Ono to the job. But as questions during a public interview demonstrated, Ono’s consideration brought with it significant political controversy from the left and right.

Ono, for his part, promised he would continue UF’s tradition of “academic excellence, viewpoint diversity and accountability to the public we serve.”

“Florida is showing the nation that it’s possible to elevate academic excellence without ideological indoctrination,” Ono said. “That’s the work I want to lead.”

The decision remains subject to approval by the Florida University System’s Board of Governors.

Ono’s selection was strongly favored by Trustee Chair Mori Hosseini, who said Ono has the experience and temperament to further boost the Gainesville university’s reputation.

“This board’s fearless pursuit of excellence and the willingness of our faculty, students, administration and staff to rise to the occasion have brought us to a place where sitting presidents from some of the most preeminent universities in the world want to be a part of our exceptional, bright future,” Hosseini said.

Hosseini notably has been a major supporter and close ally of Gov. Ron DeSantis, who had played a more significant role in the selection of college and university Presidents than any recent predecessors.

“Santa Ono is precisely the right person to be president of the University of Florida at this moment in its history,” Hosseini said in a statement.

“He is a remarkably accomplished scholar and a solidly proven academic leader, and his values align perfectly with ours here in the great state of Florida. Dr. Ono will ensure that merit and scholarship, not ideology, are the gold standards for success, and he will see to it that the University of Florida continues its ascent toward becoming America’s premier public university, bar none.”

In addition to serving as President of University of Michigan, Ono also chaired the school’s Health Board. He has been elected to the National Academy of Medicine, American Academy of Arts & Sciences, American Association for the Advancement of Science, National Academy of Inventors, Canadian Academy of Health Sciences and the Royal Society of Chemistry.

Ono has also been awarded multiple honorary doctorates and was inducted into the Johns Hopkins University Society of Scholars. He chairs the Council of Presidents of the Association of Public & Land Grant Universities and serves on the boards of the American Council on Education, the Council on Competitiveness and Internet2.

Before serving in Michigan, Ono was President and Vice Chancellor of the University of British Columbia. He was also President and Provost of the University of Cincinnati, and Senior Vice Provost and Deputy to the Provost at Emory University.

The University earlier this year announced Ono as the sole finalist for the post. But that has drawn criticism from both sides of the political aisle. That includes skepticism from U.S. Sen. Rick Scott, a Republican and the state’s senior Senator, and intense criticism from U.S. Reps. Byron Donalds and Greg Steube, both Republicans who openly called for Ono to be rejected.

Donalds, a candidate for Governor, immediately raised questions over Ono’s work in Michigan, including overseeing DEI 2.0, a diversity, equity and inclusion effort. In a speech in Michigan, Ono told faculty and staff, “racism is one of America’s original sins, and the University of Michigan has not been immune from participating in racism.”

But Florida, under DeSantis, has worked to close down all diversity programs at Florida’s higher education institutions. Donalds said Ono’s rhetoric ran counter to that.

“UF needs to go back and figure out somebody else,” Donalds told Fox News earlier this month.

Steube, a UF alumnus, in a letter to trustees cited the same rhetoric, which he called a “history of discriminatorily charged comments.” More recently, Scott, a former Governor, cited Steube’s letter and urged trustees to investigate Ono’s selection.

DeSantis, meanwhile, has said he trusted the search process and would stand by trustees’ action.

Ono made clear he will not pursue the reopening of diversity, equity and inclusion programming at UF. He stressed that UM closed its diversity programs in March after President Donald Trump’s election.

“Michigan made the very same decisions that University of Florida has made to eliminate DEI offices, to end mandatory diversity statements and to redirect investments toward programs that serve all students,” Ono said.

He added that the process of closing those offices predated Trump’s election. Regarding his past statements, he said DEI offices at that time were “nearly universal across American higher education.”

“Yes, my personal views, like many others, have evolved over this time,” he said. “Much has occurred across the continent, and I’m excited to be at the leading edge of reform and education at the University of Florida, and in the state of Florida. The fact is that some of my past remarks on DEI do not reflect what I believe today.”

Meanwhile, critics on the left have pointed at Ono’s handling of student protests in Michigan. Former employees sued the University of Michigan, backed by the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, after their employment was terminated for participating in pro-Palestinian demonstrations, according to Michigan Advance.

Ono defended actions taken to contain protests and protect Jewish students from antisemitism. He said religious discrimination will not be tolerated at UF under his watch either.

“Antisemitism is not a partisan issue. It is a moral one,” he said, “and we must be clear eyed and consistent in condemning it, confronting it and preventing it.”

Trustee Rahul Patel also questioned Ono on a bipolar disorder and past suicide attempt he openly discussed. Ono said he started discussing it to help remove stigma surrounding mental health, and stressed he has been asymptomatic for 35 years.

Ono will succeed interim UF President Kent Fuchs, who previously served as the university’s leader from 2015 to 2023. Fuchs returned after former President Ben Sasse, himself a pick strongly favored by DeSantis, abruptly quit after less than a year. While Sasse, a former U.S. Senator from Nebraska, initially cited health concerns with his wife, the Independent Alligator reported heavy spending on private jet travel.