ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) \u2014 Longtime academic Santa Ono was rejected Tuesday for the University of Florida presidency by the state university system board 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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Now the search will start all over.<\/p>\n
Ono’s proposed contract included a number of ideological requirements, such as how well he stopped programs that focus on diversity, equity and inclusion, or DEI. He was to cooperate with Gov. Ron DeSantis’ Office of Government Efficiency \u2014 similar to the office created by President Donald Trump \u2014 and appoint other university officials and deans who are \u201cfirmly aligned\u201d with Florida’s approach.<\/p>\n
Several prominent conservatives raised questions about Ono before the vote over pro-Palestinian protests, climate change efforts, gender ideology and DEI programs at the University of Michigan and his previous academic positions.<\/p>\n
These actions, Republican U.S. Sen. Rick Scott of Florida said on the X social platform, show \u201che is willing to appease and prioritize far-left activists over ensuring students are protected and receive a quality education.\u201d Others raising objections include Donald Trump Jr. and Florida GOP U.S. Reps. Byron Donalds, Greg Steube and Jimmy Patronis. Donalds is a Republican candidate for governor.<\/p>\n
Writing in Inside Higher Ed, Ono said he supported DEI initiatives at first because they aim was \u201cequal opportunity and fairness for every student.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut over time, I saw how DEI became something else \u2014 more about ideology, division and bureaucracy, not student success,\u201d Ono wrote, adding that he eventually limited DEI offices at Michigan. \u201cI believe in Florida’s vision for higher education.\u201d<\/p>\n
DeSantis, a Republican who has pushed reforms in higher education to eliminate what he calls \u201cwoke\u201d policies such as DEI, did not take a public stand on Ono but did say at a recent news conference that some of his statements made the governor \u201ccringe.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ono faced similar pointed questions at Tuesday’s meeting \u2014 especially from former Republican state House speakers Paul Renner and Jose Oliva \u2014 leading board member Charles Lydecker to object to the procedure.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have never used this as a forum to interrogate. This is not a court of law. Candidly, this process does not seem fair to me,” Lydecker said.<\/p>\n
Oliva, however, questioned how to square Ono’s many past statements about hot-button cultural issues with his more conservative stance now that he sought the Florida job.<\/p>\n
\u201cNow we are told to believe you are now abandoning an entire ideological architecture,” Oliva said. \u201cWe are asking someone to lead our flagship university. I don’t understand how it becomes unfair.\u201d<\/p>\n
Steube, writing on X, praised the board for its decision.<\/p>\n
\u201cGreat news for my alma mater and the state of Florida! The Board of Governors heard us loud and clear: Santa Ono was the wrong choice for UF,\u201d the congressman said.<\/p>\n
Ono was to replace Kent Fuchs, who became the school\u2019s temporary, interim president last summer after ex-U.S. Sen. Ben Sasse stepped down. Sasse left the U.S. Senate, where he had represented Nebraska, to become the university\u2019s president in 2023.<\/p>\n
Sasse announced in July he was leaving the job after his wife was diagnosed with epilepsy.<\/p>\n
Later reports surfaced that Sasse gave six former staffers and two former Republican officials jobs with salaries that outstripped comparable positions and spent over $1.3 million on private catering for lavish dinners, football tailgates and extravagant social functions in his first year on the job.<\/p>\n
Ono is also the former president of the University of British Columbia and the University of Cincinnati.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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