Gainesville, Fla. (AP) — The University of Florida plans to hire a dean of a school away from the University of Michigan.
Ono was recommended by the Council on Sunday night as the sole finalist on the search committee.
“Dr. Ono’s proven record of academic excellence, innovation and collaborative leadership at world-class institutions selected him unanimously,” said Rahul Patel, chairman of the school’s Presidential Search Committee.
The school’s board of directors selects the president, and appointments are subject to confirmation by the Florida Governor’s Committee in accordance with state law.
Ono will be on campus on Tuesday for a series of opportunities to connect with students, faculty and administrators.
“There are fewer more exciting higher education moments at the University of Florida,” Ono said. “Other public universities do not combine UF momentum, with an extraordinary support from the national leader, the flagship of one of the nation’s most important states, and a shared vision of the community as a whole.”
Ono will replace Kent Fuchs, who became the school’s interim president last summer after former U.S. Sen. Ben Sasse resigned. Sasse left the US Senate on behalf of Nebraska and became the university president in 2023.
SASSE announced in July that after his wife was diagnosed with epilepsy, he would quit his job to concentrate on his family.
Soon after, it was reported that SASSE had outperformed comparable positions and spent more than $1.3 million on luxurious dinners, soccer tailgates and private catering for luxurious social functions.
The amount was about twice the spending of his predecessor, Fuchs.
“If we can choose a candidate for the next university president’s dream, it’ll be Santa Ono,” Fuchs said. “His record of his best college success, his leadership style and caring personality has allowed him to work effectively with faculty, students, alumni, staff and other stakeholders everywhere ever.”
Almost three years ago, the University of Michigan hired Ono after leading the University of British Columbia. He previously served as the dean of the University of Cincinnati and Senior Vice-President of Provost at Emory University in Georgia.
When US universities retreated diversity, equity and inclusive practices in responding to the Trump administration’s orders on diversity practices, the University of Michigan was one of the first schools to do a major DEI rollback to avoid federal scrutiny. Ono said schools would find other ways to support students, such as expanding scholarships for low-income students.
