st. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — The longtime academic Ono was rejected Tuesday by the State University Systems Commission amid acute criticism from political and conservatives about his past support for diversity, equity, inclusion programs and other initiatives they consider as unacceptable freedom ideology.
The Florida Governor’s Committee, which oversees the state’s universities, voted 10-6 against Ono, the University of Michigan president. The University of Florida Council voted unanimously in May to approve ONO as the school’s 14th president. It is unprecedented for the governor to overturn such actions.
This will start the search again.
The proposed contract for ONO included many ideological requirements, including how many programs focused on diversity, equity, inclusion, or DEI. He was to work with Gov. Ron DeSantis’s Office of Government Efficiency, as well as an office created by President Donald Trump, to appoint officers and deans from other universities who were “solidly aligned” with Florida’s approach.
Several prominent conservatives raised questions about Ono before voting for Palestinian protests, climate change efforts, gender ideology and DEI programs at the University of Michigan and his previous academic background.
“He is more willing to appease and prioritize far-flung left activists than to ensure that students are protected and quality education,” Sen. Rick Scott, a Republican Sen. from Florida, told X-Social Platform. Others who challenge include Donald Trump Jr. and Florida GOP US representatives, Byron Donald, Greg Stube and Jimmy Patronis. Donald is the Republican candidate for governor.
Written for Inside Higher Ed, Ono said he initially supported the DEI initiative because it was “equal opportunity and equity for all students.”
“But over time I saw how Dei became something else. I saw details about ideology, division and bureaucracy, not student success,” Ono wrote, adding that he ultimately restricted Dei’s office in Michigan. “I believe in Florida’s vision for higher education.”
DeSantis has promoted reforms in higher education to eliminate “awakening” policies such as Day, but has not taken a public stand on Ono, but at a recent press conference, several of his statements said he was “fed up” the governor.
Ono was faced with similarly pointed questions at Tuesday’s meeting, particularly from former Republican chairmen Paul Renner and Jose Oliva.
“We’ve never used this as a forum to question it. It’s not a courtroom. Frankly, this process doesn’t seem fair to me,” Ridecker said.
But now that he has sought Florida’s work, Oliva has questioned how he will square Ono’s many past statements about the cultural issues of Hot Button with his more conservative attitude.
“Now we are said to believe you are now abandoning the entire ideological architecture,” Oliva said. “We’re asking someone to lead a flagship university. I don’t know how that’s unfair.”
Written in X, Steube praised the board for its decision.
“Great news for my alma mater and for Florida! The Governor’s Committee heard us loudly and clearly. Santa Ono was the wrong choice for the UF,” the lawmaker said.
Ono was to replace Kent Fuchs, who became the school’s temporary interim president last summer after former U.S. Sen. Ben Sasse resigned. Sasse left the US Senate, where he represented Nebraska, and became the university president in 2023.
Sasse announced in July that he would quit his job after his wife was diagnosed with epilepsy.
Reports have since emerged that SASSE has given six former staff members and two former Republican officials salaries that exceeded comparable positions and spent more than $1.3 million on lavish dinners, football tailgates and private catering for luxurious social functions.
Ono is also the former president of the University of British Columbia and the University of Cincinnati.
