University of Florida board rejects hiring Michigan’s president over his changing of DEI policy

The State University System Board of Governors’ 6-10 vote came after hours of contentious debate and grilling of Ono over his previous position on diversity, equity, and inclusion

The board that oversees Florida’s state university system voted against hiring Dr. Santa Ono, the former president of the University of Michigan, after he seemingly switched his stance on diversity, equity, and inclusion to appease President Donald Trump.

The State University System Board of Governors’ 6-10 vote against Ono came after hours of contentious debate and grilling of the academic over his previous position on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI).

Ono, who received unanimous approval from the University of Florida Board of Trustees, was mainly questioned Tuesday about his recently changed stance on DEI, and how he would uphold Florida’s agenda against DEI.

The longtime academic’s proposed contract included ideological requirements. In the role, he would be forced to cooperate with Gov. Ron DeSantis’ Office of Government Efficiency and appoint other university officials who are “firmly aligned” with Florida’s approach.

Ono was the sole finalist for the job, which would have paid him a $3 million annual package that included a $1.5 million base salary, the Florida Phoenix reported.

Santa Ono (center) was rejected to become the University of Florida’s next president because of his DEI stance (Getty Images for Anti-Defamation)

However, on Tuesday, members of the board of governors were fixated on Ono’s suddenly different stance on DEI, with some calling into question whether he switched sides to appease Trump or simply to get the gig.

“It’s insidious that it feels like pushing a rope uphill when we establish these policies, if a president doesn’t really believe in those policies,” Board of Governors Vice Chair Alan Levine said during the meeting in Orlando. “And it’s a powerful position — you can be an inhibitor, or you can help advance. And so I guess so much of your record reflects your deeply held beliefs, that you have been an advocate of DEI up until recently.”

Ono had supported DEI initiatives at the University of Michigan until shuttering some of its programs earlier this year — a move some thought had to do with Trump’s stripping of federal funding from universities.

“It looks to me like you got rid of the program because you needed to do what you had to do with the president’s orders and the funding issues. But you didn’t really push to get rid of DEI,” Levine said.

Ono repeatedly told the board that he began looking at DEI when he took office at Michigan, instead of after Trump’s executive order against it. He claimed he developed a new stance in the last year and a half after talking with students, and said that before, he was not an expert on the subject.

Even still, his record left many conservative politicians unimpressed, including Republican U.S. Sen. Rick Scott of Florida, who wrote on X that it seemed Ono “is willing to appease and prioritize far-left activists over ensuring students are protected and receive a quality education.”

Other members of the GOP raising objections to Ono’s hiring included Donald Trump Jr., Florida Republican U.S. Reps. Byron Donalds, Greg Steube and Jimmy Patronis.

Students at the University of Michigan protested Ono’s rollback of DEI initiatives following Trump’s orders (Getty Images)

Ono was also questioned Tuesday by former Republican state House speakers Paul Renner and Jose Oliva, who wondered whether Ono changed his stance just to secure the Florida job.

“Now we are told to believe you are now abandoning an entire ideological architecture,” Oliva said. “We are asking someone to lead our flagship university. I don’t understand how it becomes unfair.”

The intense degree of questioning from governors was not standard procedure, and it was the first time they had rejected a president, the Orlando Sentinel reported.

Ono previously defended his change of heart in Inside Higher Ed, writing that he supported DEI at first because he thought the aim was “equal opportunity and fairness for every student.”

“But over time, I saw how DEI became something else – more about ideology, division and bureaucracy, not student success,” Ono wrote. “I believe in Florida’s vision for higher education.”

Now, the months-long search will have to restart. The University of Florida remains without a permanent president, with former UF President Kent Fuchs holding the role in the interim.

With reporting from the Associated Press