Dr. Santa J. Ono unanimously recommended as sole finalist for UF’s 14th President
Press release from the University of Florida
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The University of Florida Presidential Search Committee has unanimously and enthusiastically recommended Santa J. Ono, Ph.D., to be considered by its Board of Trustees as the sole finalist to become the University’s 14th president.
Dr. Ono currently serves as president of the University of Michigan and brings a distinguished record of leadership in academia and public health across the United States and Canada.
“On behalf of the Presidential Search Committee, I am proud to announce Dr. Santa Ono as the sole finalist to be the University of Florida’s next president,” said Rahul Patel, Chair of the Presidential Search Committee. “Throughout an extensive and thorough process, we sought a leader who could match UF’s extraordinary momentum, understand its role as the flagship university of one of the most dynamic states in the country, and inspire our community to reach even greater heights. Dr. Ono’s proven record of academic excellence, innovation and collaborative leadership at world-class institutions made him our unanimous choice. We are confident he is the right person to build on UF’s strong foundation and help realize our bold vision for the future.”
A world-renowned researcher recognized for pioneering work on the immune system and eye disease, Dr. Ono earned his Ph.D. in experimental medicine from McGill University and his B.A. in biological sciences from the University of Chicago. He has been elected to the National Academy of Medicine, American Academy of Arts & Sciences, American Association for the Advancement of Science, National Academy of Inventors, the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences and the Royal Society of Chemistry. Among his many leadership roles, Dr. Ono serves on the boards of the American Council on Education (ACE) and the Council on Competitiveness and chairs the Council of Presidents of the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU), the University of Michigan Health Board, and Fulbright Canada. His past roles include president and vice chancellor of the University of British Columbia, president of the University of Cincinnati, and senior vice provost at Emory University. Dr. Ono is also widely recognized for his ability to cultivate philanthropic partnerships and lead ambitious fundraising efforts. He has also held faculty appointments at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Harvard University, and University College London. Additional information on Dr. Ono’s background, leadership, and honors will be forthcoming on the Presidential Search Website.
“Few moments in higher education are as exciting as this one at the University of Florida,” said Dr. Ono. “No other public university combines UF’s momentum, its role as the flagship of one of the nation’s most important states, the extraordinary support from state leaders, and a shared vision across its entire community. These strengths make UF uniquely positioned not only to lead public higher education, but to stand among the most impactful institutions — public or private — in the world. I am honored and energized to be considered for this historic opportunity.”
Dr. Ono is scheduled to visit the Gainesville campus on Tuesday, May 6, 2025, for a series of public forums with students, faculty, and administrators.
“I want to thank the Search Committee and the many members of the UF community who contributed to this process,” said Mori Hosseini, Chair of the UF Board of Trustees. “This is a great day for the University of Florida and the State of Florida. UF is on an extraordinary trajectory, and the Board remains fully committed to seeing UF become not only the best public university in the nation, but also one of the most influential institutions of higher learning in the country. We are grateful to our state’s government leaders for supporting this mission. I fully support this unanimous recommendation and am confident in Dr. Ono’s ability to guide UF to even greater success. We look forward to welcoming Dr. Ono, his wife Wendy Yip, and their daughters Juliana and Sarah to the Gator Nation.”
“If I could select a dream candidate for the University’s next president, it would be Santa Ono,” said Kent Fuchs, University of Florida Interim President. “His demonstrated record of success at the best universities, his leadership style, and caring personality have allowed him to work effectively with faculty, students, alumni, staff and other stakeholders everywhere he has been. I am confident that the future of the University will be in the best of hands with Santa Ono as our leader.”
As required by Florida law, the Presidential Search Committee was responsible for designing the search criteria, identifying and vetting a broad pool of qualified candidates, and recommending finalists to the Board of Trustees. The University of Florida Board of Trustees selects the university president, whose appointment is then subject to confirmation by the Florida Board of Governors.
Y’all change leaders more than most folks change their underwear
Pretty sure your comment just tells us how infrequently YOU change your underwear, champ.
The potential appointment of Santa Ono as president of the University of Florida raises serious concerns, appearing as a calculated maneuver to undermine Governor DeSantis’s concerted efforts to eliminate diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives in Florida’s higher education system. This move feels like a deliberate power play, a thinly veiled attempt to defy Tallahassee’s clear directive to prioritize academic rigor over ideological agendas.
Ono’s leadership at the University of Michigan is steeped in DEI advocacy. Since 2022, he has championed “DEI 1.0” and pushed for “DEI 2.0,” embedding diversity and inclusion as core institutional pillars—directly at odds with Florida’s 2023 legislation banning DEI funding in public universities. His prior roles at the University of Cincinnati, where he focused on recruiting “diverse” faculty and students, and at the University of British Columbia, where he advanced Indigenous reconciliation, reflect a commitment to progressive priorities that DeSantis’s reforms explicitly reject.
The involvement of Ono’s wife, Gwendolyn “Wendy” Yip, amplifies these concerns. As Michigan’s First Lady, she has supported the university’s DEI-aligned community-building efforts. Her leadership of the Pacific Canada Heritage Centre / Museum of Migration and engagement with Asian Canadian & Asian Migration Studies at UBC suggest potential connections to Chinese funding, given the focus on Pacific and Asian diaspora communities. Her past advocacy for affirmative action at the Asian American Justice Center further ties her to the DEI framework, positioning her as a partner in Ono’s ideological vision.
Ono’s environmental activism, including leading the University Climate Change Coalition and directing $300 million toward “socially responsible” investments, adds another layer of progressive overreach, diverting resources from Florida’s focus on educational fundamentals. Selecting Ono as president would signal a bold rejection of DeSantis’s reforms, effectively attempting to reinstate DEI-driven policies under the guise of academic leadership. It’s a move that appears designed to challenge Tallahassee’s authority, prioritizing power and ideology over the state’s mandate for institutional neutrality and academic excellence. Florida deserves a leader who aligns with its vision, not one who seems intent on subverting it.
Thank you for this valuable comment. We have made incredible gains in pushing back against the woke, DEI agenda. I once thought all was lost but now I believe that the truth is prevailing and that this wicked agenda is being thwarted, thanks be to God.
Move out of Alachua you conservative moron. This county is for liberals and your kind is not welcome. PS: DeSantis is a idiot and so is Trump, Vance, and Scott.
With your comment, Hoyt Schermerhorn, you are calling morons to 77 million of Americans who vote to stop the systemic racism and discrimination of DEI. Oh, and for your information, Gainesville is the one that is Liberal, and that is why commissioners and many of the local authorities have been questioned about corruption. I am from Alachua and I am not a moron…as you…can understand.
You sound nice and welcoming, as most liberals do. “Your kind is not welcome” here you say? That’s those deep democrat roots speaking. I bet your just like those old timer dems who opposed civil rights. I have news for you loser, this county is not just for you. Times are changing and people are waking up to the truth and the truth is not liberalism.
I think we know who the idiot is. Hoyt! Your kind is not welcomed anywhere!
Too bad you don’t learn basic language skills in school—before a vowel use an, not a.
An idiot!
Gee Hoyt, going by your posts I’d say the idiot here is you.
The Republican party was created to stop the immoral institutional slavery established by Democrats.
“It’s a move that appears designed to challenge Tallahassee’s authority…”
Hopefully! Tallahassee has exerted more influence than ever over our state universities, so we have stupid grandstanding politicians canceling classes, faculty and staff, and deciding tenure. The best faculty will leave or not consider coming here anymore though a hire like this may help keep some. UM is a preeminent university with top notch reputation and credentials and one assumes Dr. Ono wasn’t hired there unless one of the best in the US.
You want not DEI? Look at the clown car of Trump appointees – complete incompetents but lilly white and completely loyal to the orange one. Almost none of them would be hired by top notch private firms and some are DUI hires.
DeSantis’ track record with UF presidents isn’t quite stellar since it was his political hire, Sasse, who looted the UF coffers in less than three years of service. (For his presidential run DeSantis received a few million from Ricketts in Nebraska in exchange for creating a spot for Sasse in Florida. Ricketts wanted Sasse’s senate seat and his daddy paid DeS for his troubles.)
Maybe DeS needed to sit this one out.
Dear Trojan: Thank you for your excellent post. You think your comments show why Ono is unqualified, but your post backfired on you. You listed all the reasons Ono should be hired to reverse the political mockery Desantis has made of university president selection. Thank you.
We can only HOPE Ono’s appointment will help undermine Governor DeSantis’s loathsome and smooth-brained efforts to eliminate diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives in Florida’s higher education system, but I doubt he’s going to be the progressive fighter we need.
We’ll see what kind of endorsement DeSantis gives.
DeSantis has his allies on the Board, if he was opposed to Dr Ono being President of UF it wouldn’t be unanimous and he would have been blocked.
In my opinion, Sasse did SHADY stuff that they want to brush under the rug. Dr Ono sounds like an academic and much like Dr Fuchs which is exactly what UF needs right now.
This is a great hire for UF!
“We look forward to welcoming Dr. Ono, his wife Wendy Yip, and their daughters Juliana and Sarah to the Gator Nation.”
Yippie yi yo kayah!
https://youtu.be/jo-pApe1Kd0
Bring back Dr. Lombardi!
The one who made a comment about a black person being an Oreo cookie, black on the outside but white on the inside? Hell No!
I bet he lets the palestine supporters camp out in the plaza of the Americas.
It’s a righteous cause against genocide by an extremist regime, so let’s hope so!!
Got much jewish hate? Apparently the rapes and slaughters on Oct 7 are nothingburgers in your opinion.
If the Onos are trendy enough in the past with DEI and climate wokeness, for survival instincts they will continue being trendy for MAGA and FLA values, in the future. 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
I don’t equate social justice and equity with trends. They are values.
Ono sounds FAR more qualified to lead a university than that horrid Republican hack Sasse that Desantis foisted on UF. Welcome.
Any relation to Yoko? 🙂
Wow…these comments. NOT what I expected to see, but, here they are.