The Presidential Search Advisory Committee named Santa J. Ono the lone finalist for UF’s 14th president in an announcement Sunday afternoon. The recommendation comes nine months after former UF President Ben Sasse resigned from the position.
Ono currently serves as the University of Michigan’s president, a role he’s held since October 2022. He was formerly president of the University of British Columbia and the University of Cincinnati. Beyond his experience in university administration, Ono was elected to the National Academy of Medicine and serves on the American Council of Education.
In the press release, Ono praised UF in its role as the state’s flagship university, saying he’s “honored and energized to be considered for this historic opportunity.”
While Ono has an extensive background in academia, he notably lacks any experience in politics — something his predecessor drew frequent criticism for.
Former UF president Ben Sasse came from a political background, formerly serving as a U.S. senator for Nebraska. Sasse’s election fueled concerns within the UF community that political leaders like Gov. Ron DeSantis were trying to unduly influence higher education, sparking widespread protests on campus.
Sasse resigned as president in August after holding the position for 17 months. He cited concerns over his wife’s health, though the former president’s decision to step down came amid alleged conflicts between him and the UF Board of Trustees, as well as accusations he had overspent university money to court Republican allies.
Ono’s own career as a university president hasn’t been without controversy. In 2023, University of Michigan graduate students, instructors and graduate assistants launched a strike, which Ono pushed back against. Ultimately, the strikers won their demands, and the Higher Learning Commission, which accredits U.S. universities, announced an investigation into Ono’s conduct toward strikers in June.
Rahul Patel, the chair of the presidential search committee, said in a press release that the unanimous decision came from the committee’s confidence that Ono will “build on UF’s strong foundation.”
UF spokesman Steve Orlando declined to comment further on Ono’s recommendation, citing the university press release.
The committee reached out to over 450 possible candidates, 10 of whom were sitting presidents of institutions part of the Association of American Universities, an organization of research universities.
The presidential search committee defined search criteria and vetted candidates, but the Board of Trustees must vote to select the president. The appointment is also subject to confirmation by the Florida Board of Governors. The next Board of Trustees meeting will be on June 5. The agenda is yet to be released.
“I fully support this unanimous recommendation and am confident in Dr. Ono’s ability to guide UF to even greater success,” Mori Hosseini, the chair of the UF Board of Trustees, said in the press release.
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Ono will visit the UF campus on May 6 to attend public forums with students, faculty and administrators. Each forum will be held at the Emerson Hall President’s Ballroom. The faculty forum will be at 1 p.m., the student forum will take place at 2:25 p.m. and the administrator and staff forum will begin at 3:30 p.m.
Avery Parker, Kylie Williams and Delia Rose Sauer contributed to this report.
This is an Alligator staff report.
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