UF presidential candidate would bring political baggage to Gator Country
Santa J. Ono, the University of Michigan's besieged president of just three years, plans to trade in 'The Big House' in Ann Arbor for 'The Swamp' in Gainesville.
Following a long and secretive search, Ono was selected Sunday as the sole finalist to take the helm as president of the University of Florida and end a nearly year-long vacancy, assuming he is approved by university trustees and the state board of governors, as is expected. He would start work at UF later this summer.
UF announced Ono its choice to become its 14th president after an 'extensive and exhaustive process' that included reaching out to some 450 potential candidates, said Rahul Patel, the presidential search committee chair. Ultimately the committee narrowed the candidate field to nearly 10 sitting presidents of major research institutions, he said — sharply departing from the university's choice of its last president, former U.S. Senator Ben Sasse.
Ono's 'proven record of academic excellence, innovation and collaborative leadership at world-class institutions made him our unanimous choice,' Patel said. 'We are confident he is the right person to build on UF's strong foundation and help realize our bold vision for the future.'
Ono is a highly respected immunologist who has served as president at the University of British Columbia and University of Cincinnati.
But Ono has something of a contentious track record at Michigan, particularly over the way he handled pro-Palestinian protests after the Oct. 7 Hamas attack and Israeli counter-attacks.
The UF job came open when Sasse suddenly stepped down last July after 17 months on the job. Former UF President Kent Fuchs has served as interim president in the meantime.
Ono's salary has not yet been negotiated, but the search committee has set an upper limit of $3 million a year.
Ono's decision to leave Ann Arbor comes six months after he renewed his contract with UM through 2032, which included raising his base salary from $975,000 a year to $1.3 million a year.
'Serving as your president over these past three academic years has been a distinct honor,' Ono said on the University of Michigan's website. 'Every day, I have been inspired beyond words by the vibrancy, brilliance, and dedication of our faculty, staff, students, and alumni.'
Some observers called the move to Florida a step down. University of Michigan is 21st overall among national universities and 3rd among public universities, according to the U.S. News & World Report annual rankings for 2025. UF is ranked 30th nationally and 7th among public schools.
The UF Board of Trustees requires a 21-day cooling off period before it can vote to confirm Ono's appointment. From there it goes to the State Board of Governors for final approval.
Fuchs called Ono a 'dream candidate.'
UF Board Chairman Mori Hosseini, a Daytona Beach developer with deep ties to Gov. Ron DeSantis, said he supports 'this unanimous recommendation and am confident in Dr. Ono's ability to guide UF to even greater success.'
While UF's top officials praised Ono's administrative and academic attributes, others raised concerns about the closed-door nature of the search process.
The University of Florida's faculty union was 'opposed to the presidential search secrecy bill, not least the 'sole finalist' phenomenon,' said Meera Sitharam, the faculty union's UF chapter president, referring to the 2022 law that made the names of all candidates and meetings of presidential searches confidential until a list of finalists was announced.
'Can a president who accepts secrecy in their own selection stand up for academic freedom in the face of political attacks?' Sitharam asked. 'Will he resist those holding the purse strings and uphold the institutional autonomy that the public of Florida has enshrined in the state constitution?'
Ono is scheduled to visit UF on Tuesday, to meet faculty, students and administrators and answer their questions.
The announcement to hire Ono came days after the Legislature failed to repeal the 2022 law. Supporters of the statute said at the time it would ensure that they got the best possible candidates, while opponents said it merely served to hide the machinations behind political appointments.
The law has been blamed for political appointments like Sasse, a former U.S. Senator from Nebraska with minimal experience as president of a small midwestern university.
Ono has faced his share of challenges and controversies.
He was criticized for his handling of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and his stance on student activism, according to several news accounts. His and several university officials had their homes vandalized.
At least 12 pro-Palestinian protesters were arrested for campus demonstrations. Ono faced protests for appearing to be insensitive to the suffering of Palestinians, and he canceled a student government vote related to the conflict in Gaza.
Ono was also called out for speaking at an Anti-Defamation League conference on antisemitism and hate after the ADL was lambasted for defending Elon Musk's salute at Trump's inauguration that critics described as Nazi-like.
He was pressured by the Trump administration to dismantle UM's progressive DEI, or Diversity, Equity and Inclusion program, and announced a move to scuttle it two months ago. UF dismantled its DEI program as required by state law.
Sasse served from February 2023 to July of 2024, citing his wife's health as a reason for stepping down. The university continues to pay his $1 million salary through 2028.
But the school's newspaper, the Independent Florida Alligator, cited tensions between Sasse and board chair Hosseini.
The Alligator reported massive spending irregularities by Sasse, who steered millions toward his inner circle, including $7.2 million to consultants for strategic planning. The article drew the attention of then-CFO Jimmy Patronis, who ordered an audit of Sasse's expenditures that found several instances of unauthorized spending.
Sasse also gained national attention for the way he handled pro-Palestinian protests on campus following the Oct. 7 Hamas bombing of Gaza. Campus police arrested nine protesters last April, including six UF students who were banned from campus indefinitely and faced criminal charges.
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