Dr. Santa Ono
The rejection of Ono, who has served as president of the University of Michigan since 2022, marks an unprecedented intervention by the state board, which overturned the unanimous recommendation of UF's Board of Trustees from May. The decision forces the university to restart its presidential search entirely.
Conservative critics targeted Ono's previous support for diversity, equity and inclusion programs throughout his career, despite his recent pivot away from such initiatives. The proposed contract for his UF position included specific requirements to dismantle DEI programs and align with Governor Ron DeSantis' educational agenda.
Republican Senator Rick Scott led the charge against Ono on social media, claiming the administrator would "appease and prioritize far-left activists over ensuring students are protected and receive a quality education." The opposition coalition included Donald Trump Jr. and several Florida Republican representatives.
During Tuesday's contentious board meeting, former Republican state House speakers Paul Renner and Jose Oliva subjected Ono to intensive questioning about his past statements supporting campus diversity initiatives and his handling of pro-Palestinian demonstrations at Michigan.
In a recent op-ed, Ono attempted to distance himself from his previous DEI advocacy, writing that while he initially supported such programs for their goals of "equal opportunity and fairness for every student," he later concluded that "DEI became something else — more about ideology, division and bureaucracy, not student success."
Ono described limiting DEI offices at Michigan and expressed alignment with "Florida's vision for higher education" — a reference to the state's systematic elimination of diversity programs across its university system.
