Byron Donalds calls for UF presidential search to restart
May 7, 2025
Press release from Byron Donalds for Florida
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – In an interview with Fox Business, Byron Donalds – the Trump-endorsed candidate in the race to serve as Florida’s next Governor – called on the University of Florida to restart its search for its next president.
“They need to go back to the drawing board,” said Donalds.
Donalds’ rebuke came after a video of the sole finalist, University of Michigan President Santa Ono, exposed him for praising DEI initiatives.
“We have been clear about DEI not being a pillar of our educational systems in Florida,” Donalds said. “It does not comport with the values of the state of Florida.”
The DEI congressman decries DEI?
How about we stop this invasion of higher education and universities? It is a page out of the authoritarian playbook to attack the intelligentsia, and it needs to stop.
The University of Florida regretted its participation in the Johns committee and they will regret their complicity in this nonsense.
How is he DEI?
I eagerly await your response.
If Trump and Byron Daniels do not like Ono, that is all I need to know.
Ono is a great choice for UF. Welcome.
Yeah, from Michigan? One of the worst woke lefttard states?
UF lefties sabotaged Sasse and are now trying to sneak in Crooked-eye Oh-no. Meanwhile their hiring policy is still based on affirmative action.
You know he took millions of dollars right? Hired his and other staff from DC, gave them jobs with huge salaries, free homes, and other perks? Not sure I call this sabotage or he was enriching his own pockets.
Sasse is being paid $1 Million a year to teach one class – shared with another professor. And you think the libs are responsible for this? Maybe if AC did a little more reporting vs. sharing click bait from someone looking to get media attention before he runs for governor.
DEI has been removed from all of campus and not considered in any hiring decisions. Assuming you are making comments about his eyes due to his Asian heritage but to me he’s looking a lot more straight that Sasse or anyone who would support that clown.
Ono has a record of supporting conservative programs, ending DEI programs, blocking protests on campus, and hired by one of the most right leaning board of trustees UF has seen.
READ THE ACTUAL UF HIRING POLICY
https://policy.ufl.edu/
Affirmative Action Plan for Equal Employment Opportunity and Administrative Organization for the Affirmative Action Program
Regulation 1.0061
https://policy.ufl.edu/regulation/1-0061/
“promote the full realization of equal opportunity through a positive, continuing program of affirmative action which shall be aimed at enlarging and expanding the employment opportunities of qualified women and minority groups throughout the University.”
“The intensified recruitment and consideration of women and minority groups”
Regarding Sasse, I haven’t seen any convincing evidence that what he did is wrong. Leftist rags like the Communist Alligator dug up some sensationalist “dirt” that was paraded around as evidence. “Millions” sure sounds like the Bernie drivel about “Millions and Billions” aimed at the idiots that love the old crook. Look at the UF Basketball coach that is being paid $40 million. This incoming Oh-no is going to be paid millions, UF is rich, simple as that, and if Sasse has millions at his disposal at the Office of the President, then he spends millions as he sees fit, including on his chosen team.
I have read those polices. Are you not aware that affirmative action and DEI are not the same thing? Also, are you not aware that Florida law enforces this and was signed into law by Rick Scott in 2017? I’m sorry but you are wrong – DEI is not used in hiring decisions.
http://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0100-0199/0110/Sections/0110.112.html
Here is the state auditor report regarding spending by Sasse that will provide you the evidence you are asking for. Yes UF has a lot of money doesn’t mean the president should be using it to buy houses for his friends.
https://flauditor.gov/pages/pdf_files/2025-107.pdf
You are claiming foul by liberals but you are supporting handing out millions of dollars to individuals who don’t deserve it. No one went digging its public record – what he did is not ethical or conservative and somehow you are in support?
Thank you for this, I’m going to read over the Sasse report.
I was not aware of Affirmative Action being snuck back into the Florida Statutes. This is an awful discriminatory policy that is a giant demerit on the State of Florida as a whole then, not just UF.
If you go to UF or Shands and look around, it’s already mostly entitled women and minorities working there.
When they need real work done, they call the few remaining men for help.
I respect Byron Donalds. If he has concerns about Dr. Ono, they should be looked into.
I’d be interested in Christopher Rufo’s opinion on Dr. Ono as well.
Please lift up merit rather than discrimination at UF. Let’s get back to the dream of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., not the DEI industry.
Does bringing in a five-star recruit with barely average grades who can lead your school to a national championship and bring in hundreds of millions of dollars qualify as merit? Or should the school rely on Wu and Kumar to bring in the big bucks.
Unfortunately, university presidents have tough financial decisions to make in order to keep the school competitive.
Should merit be limited solely to grade point average?
Five-star recruits will never sign with a school where they don’t feel comfortable since they have so many choices to choose from.
DEI is a pejorative that is not fully understood.
Good luck trying to separate capitalism from DEI Byron.
Are you calling for sport picks over education. How many of these picks will go on and be successful enough to last their entire life. I think that higher education institutions should be known for the amount of great opportunities available for graduates upon graduating than the very few players that make it into the NFL.
I agree with your view of what higher education institutions should be.
However, in order to make that a reality, today’s university organizations are a body that consists of many parts that need each other in order to be complete.
Of the 60k students at UF less than 500 or in some type of athletic program; programs that rake in tons of money that is used to create “great opportunities” for the other 59.5k.
A good university president couldn’t care less about opportunities available for graduates upon graduating. If they did they wouldn’t be selling degrees in things like “Advanced studies in climate change wind symphonics”
Chris Rufo is primarily responsible for turning New College from a very highly ranked academic institution – 4th behind the Naval Academy, West Point, and Air Force Academy as a public college by US News and sometimes leader in per capita grads who go on to graduate level studies – to a laughing stock jock farm. He owes the state of Florida millions for that feat.
Byron Donald is a knee jerk Trump sycophant and MAGA pol who is kept in check by his even more MAGA wife and was elected in a bright white SW Florida district that is 6% black. He is not a voice for American blacks in a super white GOP.
You obviously haven’t looked at the 2025 rankings – it’s ranked #7. Hardly a laughing stock.
https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/rankings/national-liberal-arts-colleges/top-public?_sort=rank&_sortDirection=asc
Falling 3 spots in 2 years is not inspiring when mostly based on the remaining excellent faculty who have not left yet. It is ranked 122 in liberal arts colleges and nothing about it’s plan or the quality of student applicants says “academic excellence” or “Florida’s Honors College”, both appropriate descriptions before the politicians and ideologues like Rufo took over.
Mom, MLK supported affirmative action.
“In “Why We Can’t Wait,” published in 1963, he argued that given the long history of American racism, blacks fully deserved “special, compensatory measures” in jobs, education and other realms. Four years later, in “Where Do We Go From Here?” he wrote: “A society that has done something special against the Negro for hundreds of years must now do something special for him.”
I would look prior to DEI being trendy, for his other beliefs and values. Believe it or not, ambitious people are often like chameleons and latch onto whatever they think will get them ahead. He could be one.
If he’s either a chameleon OR a true believer in wokeness, Ono would be a no-no.
🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
AC decides to post this one-sided clip and nothing of DR Ono’s public meetings with UF staff and students recently. Curious how AC decides what to post?
Bill : glad AC added this article…this is the 2nd article here about ono…I’ve made up my mind…”ono is a Nono”! I had my concerns and so do others…thanks AC for the forum.
Maybe you should read other articles where they share information actually relevant to Dr. Ono’s leadership and beliefs.
Ono has a record of supporting conservative programs, ending DEI programs, blocking protests on campus, and hired by one of the most right leaning board of trustees UF has seen.
Byron wants to be governor and grabbing for Media attention. Seems like AC is helping spread his moment and you grabbed onto it.
Well the Gainesville Sun published the exact same press release. Maybe you should go have an hysterical fit at them, too.
They also shared the follow up report with the actual facts. I stand firm in my comments, your support of this publication means nothing lol.
Sorry this hurts your feelings snowflake.
This DEI lover is what UF attracted after raising the salary of the president from $1 million a year to $3 million a year. UF ‘raised’ the salary in hopes of finding ‘better’ talent.
We need to ask ourselves, why did UF feel the need to raise the offer to this absurd amount?
Maybe because the interference and corrupt practices plaguing the State University System make positions unattractive to competent candidates, forcing universities to compensate with excessive pay or hire political hacks at only million-dollar salaries.
Higher education in Florida and across the US faces crisis—not from “wokeness,” but from hostile work environments that despise the work they do.
UF felt the need to raise the salary to that amount because he is leading a nine billion dollar institution and that is the national average to pay for a president leading an institution this size.
Also, only $200k of state money is used to pay president salary – the rest comes from private funds.
Might I add a search firm advised on the salary when comparing similar institutions to UF – something AC has not reported on except for when Byron wanted to get on camera.
https://www.alligator.org/article/2025/04/uf-s-next-president-could-make-up-to-3-million-a-year?ct=content_open&cv=cbox_featured
I was concerned, so I read some of the commentary coming from Michigan newspapers and campus sites. He was considered controversial for immediately stopping DEI practices at UM after the executive order, and for not allowing protest encampments on campus. He has excellent credentials and as an alum I’m willing to give him a chance.
He is a conservative, stopped DEI programs, and blocked protests on campus. Isn’t that what all of you wanted? You all have done just as much research as AC has and it shows. Maybe do a little more reading than what this shady paper shows you.
Ono will be a great addition to campus and shows up for conservative values. Donalds just trying to get his two minutes in front of the camera and AC is helping keep his moment alive.
Again, hysterical person, the Gainesville Sun published the exact same press release.
Again, ignorant person, Gainesville Sun has published six different articles in the last few days regarding the president of UF. Including the one where Ono states he does not support DEI.
You must be one of them Biden supporters who enjoys seeing fake news being peddled around.
I really couldn’t care less. I just have to laugh at patent stupidity on public display, especially when it is couched in self-righteousness. Obviously, the AC fills a void left by the Sun by covering local news, crime, happenings at public meetings, etc.
Sorry if your feelings are hurt but your support of this publication means nothing lol.
You are just like the lefties getting upset when actually facts are shared.
My feelings are not hurt (neither are my panties in a knot, as yours appear to be).
Are you sure? You seem to be having a tantrum instead of discussing actual facts.
I’m so sorry you are so upset!
Ono is highly qualified for the position and I believe he will do well and deserves a chance. I’m also far more conservative and anti-DEI than most folks here.
This is what AC should be sharing with you.. actual facts and true reporting not sharing Byron spewing from the mouth for media attention.
I find their reporting choices interesting considering their lack of reporting regarding the presidents office at UF.
“Like many, I supported what I believed to be the original intent of DEI — ensuring equal opportunity and fairness for every student. That’s something on which most everyone agrees. But over time, I saw how DEI became something else—more about ideology, division and bureaucracy, not student success. That’s why, as president of the University of Michigan, I made the decision to eliminate centralized DEI offices and redirect resources toward academic support and merit-based achievement”
https://www.insidehighered.com/opinion/views/2025/05/08/why-i-chose-university-florida-santa-ono-opinion
You are the only one “spewing from the mouth” here.
You must be his biggest defender! Seems you can’t keep your mouth shut either.
Little man big mouth!
Erin, it is possible to oppose any excesses of DEI or other policies without rejecting the basis for it’s creation and the need to address the problems it was meant to solve. In fact blacks and women have been discriminated consciously and subliminally – humans favor those the know or feel close to – and awareness of sharing the bounty of our society, but more importantly the lifting of the weight necessary to produce that bounty is a desirable goal.
It should be noted that very high percentage of regular posters here are motivated by racism, often out front and sometimes well hidden, but real none the less. Your stereotyping of liberals like me is as stupid as the actual opinions you criticize, but keep in mind that the anti-DEI fervor in MAGA land has a large number of racists supporters and the recent example of the supposed “meritocracy” to follow the decline of DEI in the body of the Trump appointees is a lot less than inspiring.
I am a conservative that supports Dr. Santa Ono as UF President. I also notice that Governor DeSantis, whom I respect more than President Trump, appointed the Board of Regents and entrusted them with this search. I’ve yet to hear his pronouncement on the search result, but I’m pretty sure he will support his board. Byron Donalds, God bless his soul, is on a mission to be more “MAGA” than Donald Trump. In his scavenging for Trump’s favor, he is descending into Roger Stone and Laura Loomer territory. I’m pretty sure that Dr. Ono knew the political environment in Florida and it is totally the opposite of the one in Michigan. For God’s sake, the man had that Islamist Rashida Tlaib on his back the whole time, yet he managed to evict the Hamas supporters who created an encampment and had the 4 ringleaders arrested. He also closed all of the DEI offices at UM once Trump issued his EO. The man is NOT ignorant. He doesn’t want a “woke” environment and that’s why he left a higher ranked public university for UF.
Who cares what Byron Donalds says about the UF presidential pick?
For those of you screaming that Ono is too leftist, you can count on one thing: Mori’s UF Board of Trustees most assuredly did not pick a left leaning person to be president. They are all-in on steering UF to the right.
For those of you screaming that Ono is too far-right, note that neither side is happy with him. Tells me that the man is maybe middle of the road a.k.a. he’s a happy medium. Everything has become far too politicized these days, no one is happy, no one is healthy and this sucks for everyone.
Can we not make every-darn-thing about politics and just realize that the guy has stellar credentials and isn’t likely to deplete UF coffers like Sasse and his gang did.
And get on with our lives and off identity politics?