Florida’s Board of Governors blocked Santa Ono’s appointment as the university’s next president.
On Tuesday, the Board of Governors voted 10-6 against confirming Ono. Florida’s Board of Trustees voted unanimously to appoint the former Michigan president in May.
Curt Anderson of the Associated Press called it “unprecedented” for the governors to reverse the trustees.
The rejection comes amid mounting pressure from Republicans opposed to Ono’s past support of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs at Michigan. They also criticized his handling of pro-Palestinian campus protests.
Many of Florida’s Board of Governors members were appointed by Governor Ron DeSantis, a Republican who signed a law banning DEI initiatives in public colleges in 2023. DeSantis said he’d leave the decision to them, but other Conservatives expressed vitriol before the vote.
On Monday, former Florida Governor and current U.S. Senator Rick Scott conveyed “serious concerns” about Ono, accusing him of “failing to uphold even the most basic standards of leadership.”
“UF needs and deserves a president who will stand strong against hate, antisemitism, and divisive policies and stand with our Jewish students,” Scott said of Ono, who condemned antisemitism as a “uniquely virulent and persistent threat.” “Any potential president at the school must fully commit to doing so – publicly and proactively.”
Aaron J. Thornton/Getty Images
Before the trustees approved him, Ono said he wouldn’t introduce DEI programs at Florida. Michigan closed its DEI office in March after Donald Trump signed an executive order prohibiting DEI policies.
“The fact is some of my past remarks about DEI do not reflect what I believe, and that evolution did not take place overnight and it was shaped over a year and a half of thinking, discussions, listening to faculty, staff and students and their thoughts on the DEI program,” Ono said, per the Gainesville Sun’s Alan Festo.
According to Anderson, Ono faced “pointed questions” about DEI during Tuesday’s board meeting. One member objected to the atypical grilling from former Republican state House speakers.
“We have never used this as a forum to interrogate,” Charles Lydecker said. “This is not a court of law. Candidly, this process does not seem fair to me.”
Related: University of Michigan President Santa Ono Is Leaving
