The chairman of the University of Florida\u2019s trustees on Thursday called the decision to vote down the confirmation of Santa Ono as the university\u2019s next president \u201cdeeply disappointing.\u201d
\n\u201cOur board of trustees stands by the integrity of the search, the strength of the candidates it produced and the principles that guided our work,\u201d said Chairman Mori Hosseini, at a UF board of trustees meeting in Gainesville. \u201cThis outcome is deeply disappointing to our Board of Trustees.\u201d<\/p>\n
Florida\u2019s Board of Governors, which has final say on who leads the state\u2019s 12 universities, nixed Ono\u2019s appointment at a meeting Tuesday.
\nBoth the board of governors and UF\u2019s board of trustees are comprised largely of appointees from Gov. Ron DeSantis \u2014 who has been publicly mum on Ono\u2019s rejection.<\/p>\n
Hosseini \u2014 who sat next to Ono as he faced hours of intense questioning from the board \u2014 did not elaborate Thursday on the university\u2019s next steps in finding a new president. Ono, Hosseini and UF also did not comment after the 10-6 vote against the president-elect on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
Ono is a highly respected molecular immunologist who served as president at the University of Michigan, University of British Columbia and University of Cincinnati.
\nUF\u2019s board of trustees selected Ono as the sole finalist for president on May 27, praising his \u201crecord of academic excellence\u201d and calling him \u201cthe right person to build on UF\u2019s strong foundation.\u201d
\nBut that announcement quickly met with backlash from many conservatives who deemed Ono too progressive for Florida as he had championed diversity, equity and inclusion programs at Michigan before saying he had \u201cevolved\u201d on the issue. Florida has banned DEI, and UF and other state universities have dismantled their programs.<\/p>\n
Christopher Rufo, a New College of Florida trustee and conservative firebrand, for example, called Ono\u2019s selection a \u201cscandal\u201d, while Donald Trump Jr. dubbed Ono a \u201cwoke psycho.\u201d Sen. Rick Scott, a former state governor, criticized Ono\u2019s handling of protests on Michigan\u2019s campus in the wake of Hamas\u2019 October attacks in Israel, saying Ono \u201cstood by while a pro-terrorist encampment occupied the campus for an entire month\u201d and questioning how Ono would protect Jewish students on UF\u2019s campus.<\/p>\n
Going forward, Hosseini said Ono\u2019s rejection would \u201cnot diminish\u201d UF\u2019s \u201cmomentum.\u201d
\n\u201cOur responsibility now to move forward with a strength, purpose and unshakable belief in UF\u2019s future. We will continue to pursue the kind of bold principle and forward-thinking leadership that Gator Nation deserves,\u201d he said.
\nNot everyone shares Hosseini\u2019s optimism, however.<\/p>\n
After Tuesday\u2019s meeting, Amanda Phalin, a UF professor and former member of the board of governors, called Ono\u2019s rejection an \u201cembarrassment\u201d that could hurt the university for decades and make it harder for the state to recruit highly-qualified university leaders.
\n\u201cThis portends more politics in the process, and more politicians in the process across the state, and less focus on academics and academic excellence,\u201d Phalin said.<\/p>\n
The rejection of Santa Ono as the University of Florida’s next president has sent shockwaves throughout the academic community, with many expressing disappointment and concern about the future of the university. Despite the setback, the university’s board of trustees remains committed to finding a new leader who will build on UF’s strong foundation and take the institution to new heights.<\/p>\n
Q: Who is Santa Ono and why was his appointment rejected?
\nA: Santa Ono is a highly respected molecular immunologist who was selected as the sole finalist for president of the University of Florida. His appointment was rejected by the Florida Board of Governors due to concerns about his progressive views and his handling of diversity, equity, and inclusion programs at his previous institution.
\nQ: What are the implications of Ono’s rejection for the University of Florida?
\nA: The rejection of Ono’s appointment could hurt the university’s reputation and make it harder to recruit highly-qualified leaders in the future. It may also lead to more political involvement in the university’s decision-making process, which could detract from its focus on academic excellence.
\nQ: What’s next for the University of Florida in terms of finding a new president?
\nA: The university’s board of trustees will continue to search for a new president who embodies the principles of academic excellence and bold leadership that the institution values. The board remains committed to finding a leader who will build on UF’s strong foundation and take the university to new heights.
\nOriginally Published: June 5, 2025 at 4:46 PM EDT<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Introduction to the Controversy The chairman of the University of Florida\u2019s trustees on Thursday called the decision to vote down the confirmation of Santa Ono as the university\u2019s next president \u201cdeeply disappointing.\u201d \u201cOur board of trustees stands by the integrity of the search, the strength of the candidates it produced and the principles that guided […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":15982,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rank_math_lock_modified_date":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-15981","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-education"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sun-sentinel.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/TOS-L-ono-BOG_MF2A4882f-2_5cce5f.jpg?w=1400px&strip=all&w=1400&resize=1400,871&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/miami\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15981"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/miami\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/miami\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/miami\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/miami\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15981"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/miami\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15981\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15983,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/miami\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15981\/revisions\/15983"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/miami\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15982"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/miami\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15981"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/miami\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15981"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/miami\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15981"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}