LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – Conservatives are pushing back against hiring the University of Michigan’s former president, Santa Ono, as the new president of the University of Florida.

The University of Florida’s board of trustees unanimously voted Tuesday to hire Ono as the next president, following former U.S. Senator and University President Ben Sasse’s resignation in 2024. The board of governors still needs to cast their vote before Ono’s presidency is finalized.

Senator Rick Scott calls Ono’s appointment “scary.”

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In an interview yesterday on The Charlie Kirk Show, Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) said the prospect of electing Ono as the university’s new president is “scary.”

“We don’t want antisemitism on our campuses. We don’t want any campus encampments on our campus. We don’t want somebody to say that, that, you know, we’re all racist,” Scott said. “And, this guy at the University of Michigan allowed encampments, allowed the Jewish students there to be harassed, and has said that this country is a racist country.”

Ono’s resume.

During Ono’s time as president of the University of British Columbia, he met with Kathryn Gretsinger to discuss the institution’s reforms.

“You probably know that the Indigenous Strategic Plan is considered to be sort of the standard globally. The Climate Action Plan and our leadership of UC3, the University Climate Change Coalition, is admired globally. And our recently completed ARIE Task Force report, Anti-Racism and Inclusive Excellence, is also considered to be a standard that is emulated around the world,” Ono said in his 2022 interview. “So I’m really proud of what the university community has accomplished during our time together.”

Ono said these accomplishments matter to him because they show the University of British Columbia’s place as a world leader.

“It [the university] should be leading. It should be leading Canada, it should be leading the world,” he said. “And the fact that the institution is recognized for that is something that I have great pride in.”

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In an interview with the University of Florida’s board of trustees yesterday, Ono said his beliefs on DEI and other left-wing ideology have since evolved and that the University of Florida is showing the U.S. that it is possible to elevate academic excellence without ideological indoctrination.

“I am here because I believe in the direction Florida is taking in higher education and because I am fully aligned with the values that have made the University of Florida’s recent successes…possible,” Ono said.

He went on to say that universities are not meant to be echo chambers and that he would not tolerate any antisemitic actions on the University of Florida’s campus. But some remain skeptical of Ono’s shift in tone.

Will DEI take a road trip to Florida?

One member of the university’s board of trustees, Mori Hosseini, asked Ono about his views on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.

“In your opening statement, you clearly stated that you are now opposed to DEI and will not bring DEI to Florida,” Hosseini said. “Given your current position on DEI, how do you explain those prior comments you made?”

In his response, Ono said he is a scientist who learns from experience. Thus, he claimed that, at the University of Michigan, he kept the aspects of DEI that benefited the institution and did away with the parts that hindered academic excellence. 

Ono said the University of Michigan made the decision to stop using DEI statements in November 2024, long before he became a candidate for president at the University of Florida in April. He also claimed that it is “counterproductive” and “not very helpful” for university presidents to call their institutions “racist.”

“When you make statements like that [calling an institution “racist”], it actually results in division,” Ono said. “And I’d like to focus, I think what’s beautiful about the Florida approach is, focus on everyone’s opportunity. Not to differentiate the community into different groups, but to really focus on supporting every student, every faculty member to succeed. And that shift may seem like it’s subtle, but I think it’s everything. It’s incredibly important.”