Santa Ono Not Selected for University of Florida Presidency

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Seasoned academic Santa Ono faced rejection from the state university system board for the University of Florida presidency on Tuesday. This decision comes amid significant criticism from political conservatives regarding his prior support for diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, which they regard as overly progressive.

The Florida Board of Governors, tasked with university oversight, decided 10-6 against Ono’s appointment. This follows a unanimous decision by the University of Florida Board of Trustees in May supporting Ono as the 14th university president. The governors’ reversal of such a decision is unprecedented.

Ono’s proposed contract included a number of ideological requirements, such as how well he stopped programs that focus on diversity, equity and inclusion, or DEI. He was to cooperate with Gov. Ron DeSantis’ Office of Government Efficiency — similar to the office created by President Donald Trump — and appoint other university officials and deans who are “firmly aligned” with Florida’s approach.

Several prominent conservatives raised questions about Ono before the vote over pro-Palestinian protests, climate change efforts, gender ideology and DEI programs at the University of Michigan and his previous academic positions.

These actions, Republican U.S. Sen. Rick Scott of Florida said on the X social platform, show “he is willing to appease and prioritize far-left activists over ensuring students are protected and receive a quality education.” Others raising objections include Donald Trump Jr. and Florida GOP U.S. Reps. Byron Donalds, Greg Steube and Jimmy Patronis. Donalds is a Republican candidate for governor.

Writing in Inside Higher Ed, Ono said he supported DEI initiatives at first because they aim was “equal opportunity and fairness for every student.”

“But over time, I saw how DEI became something else — more about ideology, division and bureaucracy, not student success,” Ono wrote, adding that he eventually limited DEI offices at Michigan. “I believe in Florida’s vision for higher education.”

DeSantis, a Republican who has pushed reforms in higher education to eliminate what he calls “woke” policies such as DEI, did not take a public stand on Ono but did say at a recent news conference that some of his statements made the governor “cringe.”

Ono faced similar pointed questions at Tuesday’s meeting — especially from former Republican state House speakers Paul Renner and Jose Oliva — leading board member Charles Lydecker to object to the procedure.

“We have never used this as a forum to interrogate. This is not a court of law. Candidly, this process does not seem fair to me,” Lydecker said.

Oliva, however, questioned how to square Ono’s many past statements about hot-button cultural issues with his more conservative stance now that he sought the Florida job.

“Now we are told to believe you are now abandoning an entire ideological architecture,” Oliva said. “We are asking someone to lead our flagship university. I don’t understand how it becomes unfair.”

Ono was to replace Kent Fuchs, who became the school’s temporary, interim president last summer after ex-U.S. Sen. Ben Sasse stepped down. Sasse left the U.S. Senate, where he had represented Nebraska, to become the university’s president in 2023.

Sasse announced in July he was leaving the job after his wife was diagnosed with epilepsy.

Later reports surfaced that Sasse gave six former staffers and two former Republican officials jobs with salaries that outstripped comparable positions and spent over $1.3 million on private catering for lavish dinners, football tailgates and extravagant social functions in his first year on the job.

Ono is also former president of the University of British Columbia and the University of Cincinnati.

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