Historic first: Florida board rejects UF president pick, Santa Ono, in move with national implications for US academia – Times of India

In an unprecedented decision on June 3, 2025, the Florida Board of Governors (BOG) rejected the appointment of Dr. Santa Ono as the next president of the University of Florida (UF), marking the first time in its history that the board overturned a university’s presidential selection. The vote, which failed 6–10 with one member absent, stunned UF leadership and sent ripples through academic circles across the US.Dr. Ono, a distinguished academic leader who previously served as president of the University of Michigan and the University of British Columbia, had been unanimously approved by UF’s Board of Trustees on May 27, 2025. He was the sole finalist presented by UF’s Presidential Search Committee. The decision by the state’s higher education board has now forced UF to restart its presidential search process entirely.A clash over ideology and past leadershipDuring a nearly three-hour hearing in Orlando, board members sharply questioned Ono about his views and leadership record. As reported by Mass Live, much of the scrutiny focused on Ono’s past support for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs, his position on race-based versus merit-based admissions, gender-affirming care, climate change policies, and his response to the Covid-19 pandemic during his time at Michigan.Board Vice-Chair Alan Levine questioned Ono for nearly 40 minutes, raising concerns about his handling of the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack and his stance on antisemitism. According to Mass Live, Ono defended his record, stating, “What happened on Oct. 7 deeply affected the members of my community and me personally, and so at UF I would be consistently focused on making sure antisemitism does not rear its head again.“BOG member Paul Renner, a Republican and former Florida House speaker, led a particularly aggressive line of questioning on DEI and race-based admissions. As reported by Mass Live, Renner cited a binder of past statements and articles and repeatedly pressed Ono on the timeline of his remarks. At one point, Renner interrupted Ono’s clarification, saying, “I appreciate the answer, but I didn’t ask about DEI.”Concerns over fairness and political pressureSeveral board members raised concerns about the fairness of the process. As quoted by Mass Live, Charles Lydecker, a BOG member and part of UF’s presidential search committee, said, “We have never used this as a forum to interrogate… candidly, this process does not feel fair to me.” Board Chair Brian Lamb also acknowledged that it would have been more appropriate for Ono to receive the documents Renner referenced in advance.Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, while not publicly opposing Ono, has long been critical of DEI initiatives in public institutions. In 2023, he signed legislation banning such programs from Florida’s public colleges. On May 29, 2025, he said during a press event that some of Ono’s previous statements made him “cringe,” but that the final decision was left to the BOG, most of whom were his appointees.A costly leadership setbackDr. Ono had been expected to sign a five-year contract with a base salary of $1.5 million annually, with bonuses potentially bringing the total to $15 million. This would have made him one of the highest-paid public university presidents in the country.Mori Hosseini, chair of UF’s Board of Trustees, expressed disappointment during the hearing. As quoted by Mass Live, he called the questioning “heartbreaking” and noted, “You all decided today is the day we’re going to take somebody down.” He also revealed that Paul Renner had previously inquired about the UF presidency before joining the BOG in April 2025. Renner acknowledged this but claimed he would not have accepted the position.What’s next for UF and US academiaWith Ono’s rejection, UF must begin its search for a new president from scratch. It remains unclear whether other candidates from the original process will be reconsidered. The incident has sparked debate nationwide about the politicization of higher education and the growing tension between university autonomy and state oversight.The ramifications of this historic rejection are expected to be felt beyond Florida, as universities across the US watch closely how political influence is reshaping public education leadership.