Santa J. Ono, the College of Michigan’s besieged president of simply three years, plans to commerce in “The Massive Home” in Ann Arbor for “The Swamp” in Gainesville.
Following an extended and secretive search, Ono was chosen Sunday as the only real finalist to take the helm as president of the College of Florida and finish an almost year-long emptiness, assuming he’s accredited by college trustees and the state board of governors, as is predicted. He would begin work at UF later this summer time.
UF introduced Ono its option to change into its 14th president after an “in depth and exhaustive course of” that included reaching out to some 450 potential candidates, mentioned Rahul Patel, the presidential search committee chair. In the end the committee narrowed the candidate subject to just about 10 sitting presidents of main analysis establishments, he mentioned — sharply departing from the college’s alternative of its final president, former U.S. Senator Ben Sasse.
Ono’s “confirmed report of educational excellence, innovation and collaborative management at world-class establishments made him our unanimous alternative,” Patel mentioned. “We’re assured he’s the proper individual to construct on UF’s robust basis and assist notice our daring imaginative and prescient for the longer term.”
Ono is a extremely revered immunologist who has served as president on the College of British Columbia and College of Cincinnati.
However Ono has one thing of a contentious observe report at Michigan, significantly over the best way he dealt with pro-Palestinian protests after the Oct. 7 Hamas assault and Israeli counter-attacks.
The UF job got here open when Sasse all of a sudden stepped down final July after 17 months on the job. Former UF President Kent Fuchs has served as interim president within the meantime.
Ono’s wage has not but been negotiated, however the search committee has set an higher restrict of $3 million a yr.
Ono’s resolution to depart Ann Arbor comes six months after he renewed his contract with UM by 2032, which included elevating his base wage from $975,000 a yr to $1.3 million a yr.
“Serving as your president over these previous three educational years has been a definite honor,” Ono mentioned on the College of Michigan’s web site. “Day-after-day, I’ve been impressed past phrases by the vibrancy, brilliance, and dedication of our school, workers, college students, and alumni.”
Some observers known as the transfer to Florida a step down. College of Michigan is twenty first general amongst nationwide universities and third amongst public universities, in accordance with the U.S. Information & World Report annual rankings for 2025. UF is ranked thirtieth nationally and seventh amongst public faculties.
The UF Board of Trustees requires a 21-day cooling off interval earlier than it may well vote to substantiate Ono’s appointment. From there it goes to the State Board of Governors for last approval.
Fuchs known as Ono a “dream candidate.”
UF Board Chairman Mori Hosseini, a Daytona Seaside developer with deep ties to Gov. Ron DeSantis, mentioned he helps “this unanimous advice and am assured in Dr. Ono’s potential to information UF to even larger success.”
Whereas UF’s high officers praised Ono’s administrative and educational attributes, others raised considerations in regards to the closed-door nature of the search course of.
The College of Florida’s school union was “against the presidential search secrecy invoice, not least the ‘sole finalist’ phenomenon,” mentioned Meera Sitharam, the college union’s UF chapter president, referring to the 2022 legislation that made the names of all candidates and conferences of presidential searches confidential till a listing of finalists was introduced.
“Can a president who accepts secrecy in their very own choice arise for educational freedom within the face of political assaults?” Sitharam requested. “Will he resist these holding the purse strings and uphold the institutional autonomy that the general public of Florida has enshrined within the state structure?”
Ono is scheduled to go to UF on Tuesday, to satisfy school, college students and directors and reply their questions.
The announcement to rent Ono got here days after the Legislature didn’t repeal the 2022 legislation. Supporters of the statute mentioned on the time it will be sure that they received the absolute best candidates, whereas opponents mentioned it merely served to cover the machinations behind political appointments.
The legislation has been blamed for political appointments like Sasse, a former U.S. Senator from Nebraska with minimal expertise as president of a small midwestern college.
Ono has confronted his share of challenges and controversies.
He was criticized for his dealing with of the Israeli-Palestinian battle and his stance on scholar activism, in accordance with a number of information accounts. His and several other college officers had their properties vandalized.
Not less than 12 pro-Palestinian protesters have been arrested for campus demonstrations. Ono confronted protests for showing to be insensitive to the struggling of Palestinians, and he canceled a scholar authorities vote associated to the battle in Gaza.
Ono was additionally known as out for talking at an Anti-Defamation League convention on antisemitism and hate after the ADL was lambasted for defending Elon Musk’s salute at Trump’s inauguration that critics described as Nazi-like.
He was pressured by the Trump administration to dismantle UM’s progressive DEI, or Range, Fairness and Inclusion program, and introduced a transfer to scuttle it two months in the past. UF dismantled its DEI program as required by state legislation.
Sasse served from February 2023 to July of 2024, citing his spouse’s well being as a purpose for stepping down. The college continues to pay his $1 million wage by 2028.
However the faculty’s newspaper, the Unbiased Florida Alligator, cited tensions between Sasse and board chair Hosseini.
The Alligator reported large spending irregularities by Sasse, who steered tens of millions towards his internal circle, together with $7.2 million to consultants for strategic planning. The article drew the eye of then-CFO Jimmy Patronis, who ordered an audit of Sasse’s expenditures that discovered a number of situations of unauthorized spending.
Sasse additionally gained nationwide consideration for the best way he dealt with pro-Palestinian protests on campus following the Oct. 7 Hamas bombing of Gaza. Campus police arrested 9 protesters final April, together with six UF college students who have been banned from campus indefinitely and confronted legal expenses.
