On Monday, we covered that Santa Ono, former president of the University of Michigan (U-M) and University of British Columbia (UBC), who has quite the focus on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), was up for a vote to be the president of the University of Florida (UF). After Tuesday's afternoon vote, however, his bid failed. That result came about thanks to the Florida Board of Governors, which was described as "divided."
Reporting from Florida's Voice on Tuesday following the vote highlights how this was even more embarrassing for Ono, given the unprecedented level involved:
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The Florida Board of Governors voted against confirming Dr. Santa J. Ono as the next president of the University of Florida – a rare rejection of a presidential candidate.
On May 27, the University of Florida Board of Trustees unanimously selected Dr. Santa J. Ono to serve as the university’s next president.
However, a divided Board of Governors raised a number of concerns during the meeting and questioned Ono on his previous stances related to diversity, equity and inclusion; his handling of protests; racism; vaccines; gender; and other hot topics.
He was the sole finalist, selected unanimously by the 15-member Presidential Search Committee, for recommendation to the board.
The report continues to highlight Ono's focus on DEI, as we addressed, which has followed Ono in the news for years. He left UBC in 2022 to serve as president for U-M, with prevalent coverage following him even until this month. The Washington Free Beacon also reported in February of this year that the university was trying to hide support of DEI with its "Office of Community Culture."
Here's how the issue came up with the Board:
During the Q&A portion of the meeting, multiple members asked Ono about his past comments related to DEI and other topics.
Board of Governors member and Former House Speaker Paul Renner asked Ono a series of questions and posted a document on his X account a series of posts including a document called “The Case Against Dr. Santa Ono.”
The document says Ono “has a long history of radical beliefs. He claims to have disbanded DEI at UM following his own awakening to its harms, but the timeline shows it was not until he was interviewing with UF that he changed his stance.”
“Despite statements that his opinion of DEI changed over the past 18 months and his taking credit for disbanding UM’s DEI programs, the facts show Ono didn’t begin denouncing his radical ideologies until he began interviewing with UF. In addition, all of his statements point to the federal directives being the cause for his termination of DEI,” the document said.
A Presidential Search packet from Tuesday’s meeting included a letter from chairman of the Board of Trustees at UF, Morteza “Mori” Hosseini, to Board of Governor’s Chair Brian Lamb who said he believes Ono “will not bring DEI to UF.”
“He will ensure UF is a safe place for all students, including Jewish students, he will not engage in or allow others to expend public or private funds on DEI or political or social activism, he will comply with and enforce the law of this state…” Hosseini said.
The letter noted Ono previously responded to criticism in an Inside Higher Ed Op-Ed on May 8, where he explained his position on Florida’s higher education reforms and actions, including those related to DEI and antisemitism.
“Like many, I supported what I believed to be the original intent of DEI — ensuring equal opportunity and fairness for every student. That’s something on which most everyone agrees. But over time, I saw how DEI became something else—more about ideology, division and bureaucracy, not student success,” Ono wrote previously.
“That’s why, as president of the University of Michigan, I made the decision to eliminate centralized DEI offices and redirect resources toward academic support and merit-based achievement. It wasn’t universally popular, but it was necessary. I stood by it—and I’ll bring that same clarity of purpose to UF,” Ono wrote.
During Tuesday’s meeting, Ono mentioned anti-semitism, saying it “is not just another bias, it’s dangerous, it’s insidious, it’s a distinct threat.”
Ono also addressed DEI, he said he supports the decision to end DEI programs and “made a similar move in Michigan” in 2022.
Alan Levine, vice chair for the Florida Board of Governor’s said there has “been a lot of noise on both sides of this issue” and asked a series of questions – pressing Ono on his past.
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Regarding these issues with DEI that Ono looks to have finally come to terms with, which many knew all along, the realization about the divisive and racist nature of DEI may have come too little too late.
Under the second Trump administration, there has been a particular crackdown on DEI, especially in education, with President Donald Trump signing several executive orders to that effect in late April.
Not only was there a focus on DEI but also a lack of proper response to the October 7, 2023, terrorist attack that Hamas perpetrated against Israel. StopAntisemitism was one of those celebrating Ono's defeat as president. DEI and antisemitism often go hand in hand.
There were no statements from Ono on October 7 or 8 of that year, and the one that came out on October 9 concerned Ono's prepared remarks for the "2023 DEI Community Assembly." His statement on the attack on October 10 was titled "U-M statement regarding Mideast violence" and had its own issues. StopAntisemitism also highlighted concerns taking place at U-M during Ono's tenure.
Those sounding the alarm included Republican politicians in Florida, including Sen. Rick Scott and Reps. Greg Steube and Byron Donalds, as Florida's Voice highlighted. Rep. Jimmy Patronis, who assumed office in early April, also raised concerns. All have since celebrated the failed bid for Ono to become the new president at UF, with Scott reposting Donalds as well as Charlie Kirk.
Thank you to the board of governors of the University of Florida for rejecting the radical Santa Ono for the university's new president.
— Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) June 3, 2025
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