Week after unanimous appointment, former Michigan president Santa Ono rejected by Florida Board of Governors

The Florida Board of Governors has rejected Santa Ono's appointment as president of the University of Florida, despite his unanimous appointment by the university's Board of Trustees. After three years at the helm, Ono stepped down from his position as president of Michigan last month.

According to On3, Ono was voted 10-6 against being hired as the next president of the University of Florida by the Board of Governors. Gary Fineout of Politico Florida reported that this is the first time a board has rejected a presidential pick.

"Not sure that this has happened before where a local university board got behind a presidential hiring this much only to have it voted down by the state Board of Governors. Those who voted no included outgoing Ed Commissioner Manny Diaz and former House Speakers Renner & Oliva," Fineout tweeted.

Gary Fineout

@fineout

Not sure that this has happened before where a local university board got behind a presidential hiring this much only to have it voted down by the state Board of Governors. Those who voted no included outgoing Ed Commissioner Manny Diaz and former House Speakers Renner & Oliva

Fineout provided further details, saying those who wanted Ono to be hired included the UF Board Chair, Mori Hosseni.

Santa Ono was the sole finalist to take over as the 14th president of the University of Florida and was recommended for the job by the UF presidential search committee.

The university will now resume its search for a new president and for the time being, Kent Fuchs, a former Florida president, will be the interim.

"I do think our board is good at listening,” Fuchs said, per WCJB. "They have to listen there are influential people out there donors and others who will feel strongly about who should be the next president ... I’m optimistic they’ll find somebody great."

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Santa Ono faces opposition over prior actions supporting diversity and protest rights

It is believed that the Board of Governors' rejection of Santa Ono's nomination stems from his past actions supporting diversity and protest rights on college campuses.

Rebekah Modrak told The New York Times that Ono had closed the university's DEI office to undermine pro-Palestinian activism.

"He’s a man who witnessed racial bias but closed the office of diversity, equity and inclusion," Modrak said. "There’s a strong sense of justice in the fact that Santa Ono is now out of a job."

Likewise, some Florida Republicans raised concerns about Ono's past stances on diversity programming.

"There’s too much smoke with Santa Ono,” representative Jimmy Patronis said, per the NY Times. "We need a leader, not a DEI acolyte. Leave the Ann Arbor thinking in Ann Arbor."

Ono previously served as the president of the University of Cincinnati and the University of British Columbia.