Dr. Santa J. Ono, one of a handful of Asian-American college presidents in the nation, is leaving the University of Cincinnati to become president at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada.
Ono, who was tapped to lead UC in 2012 after first serving as provost, quickly generated national headlines for his innovative and bold leadership style. He insisted on flying coach, drove his own car to university functions, and decided to sell the president’s home near campus and used the money to create a $3 million endowment fund for student scholarships.
But Ono—known for his colorful bow-ties and his quirky sense of humor—was also extremely popular with the more than 44,000 students who attend the public school. They treated him like a rock star and he, in turn, would send them messages via Twitter, take selfies with them as they roamed about campus, and would buttonhole them about their experiences at a school he dubbed “the hottest college in America.”
Thus, the announcement that he would be leaving the university at the middle of this month—not quite halfway into his 10-year contract—came as a surprise to students, staff and faculty who say that Ono has put the university on an upward trajectory.
Ono’s decision to accept the presidency of the University of British Columbia means a return to his birthplace—Vancouver.
The son of a noted mathematician, Ono came of age in Baltimore, where he began studying music at the Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore and would eventually learn to play the cello.
His deep passion was biology, and he began a career as a biomedical researcher, ultimately landing administrative and teaching positions at Harvard, Johns Hopkins University and Emory.
