Who is Santa Ono? Taking a look at Michigan's top executive who shared a football team photo that included Connor Stallions

Without a doubt, Santa Ono has a lot to handle in the wake of sign sign-stealing allegation Michigan football is being investigated for. Despite the rage in the college football world on the issue, the University of Michigan president is showing his support for the team.

Ono posted a picture of an old team photo of him posing with the Michigan football team at Glick Field House. It was seen as an effort to support the team in the midst of media scrutiny.

However, the picture he posted featured Connor Stallions, who is at the center of the sign-stealing investigation.

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Who is Santa Ono?

Santa Ono is a Canadian-American immunologist and academic administrator. He has been serving as the 15th president of the University of Michigan since October 2022 and previously served as the 28th president of the University of Cincinnati from 2012 to 2016.

He was born to Takashi Ono, an immigrant Japanese mathematician, who entered the United States in the 1950s. He was born in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada and was raised in the United States. He grew up in both Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Towson, Maryland.

Like his father, Santa Ono had a brilliant educational career. He obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in biological science from the University of Chicago in 1984. He subsequently earned a Doctor of Philosophy in experimental medicine from McGill University in Canada in 1991.

Ono went on to hold faculty positions at various institutions, including Johns Hopkins University, Harvard University, University College London and Emory University, following his postdoctoral fellowship at Harvard University, which was supported by the Helen Hay Whitney Foundation,

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Santa Ono’s administrative career

Santa Ono held various administrative roles at different universities before becoming the 28th president of the University of Cincinnati in 2012. It marked a significant milestone as he became the first Asian-American president of the university and in the state of Ohio.

He was subsequently appointed as the 15th president and vice-chancellor of the University of British Columbia in Canada on Jun. 15, 2015, with his term commencing on Aug. 15. He was subsequently reappointed for a second five-year term on Aug. 11, 2020.

Moving further in his administrative career, Ono was appointed as the 15th president of the University of Michigan on Jul. 13, 2022. Just like it did at Cincinnati, his tenure marked another historic moment as he became the first Asian American to lead the university.