Santa Ono rejected for University of Florida presidency amid conservative backlash
June 3, 2025
Longtime academic Santa Ono has been rejected for the University of Florida presidency by the state university system board. The vote Tuesday came amid sharp criticism from political conservatives about his past support for diversity, equity and inclusion programs and other initiatives they view as unacceptable liberal ideology. The Florida Board of Governors, which oversees the state’s universities, voted 10-6 against Ono, who was most recently president of the University of Michigan. The University of Florida Board of Trustees had voted unanimously in May to approve Ono as the school’s 14th president, and it is unprecedented for the governors to reverse such an action.
