The University of Florida’s Board of Trustees on Tuesday voted unanimously to approve Santa Ono as the institution’s new president despite an onslaught of recent criticism highlighting the scholar’s previous dedication to diversity, equity and inclusion.
Ono will become the university’s 14th president, pending approval by the Florida Board of Governors, which oversees the State University System of Florida, the university announced.
UF’s news release does not address the concerns that have been voiced by top conservatives in recent weeks sounding the alarm on Ono’s past, including Florida Republicans U.S. Sen. Rick Scott and U.S. Rep. Greg Steube and high-profile conservative activists Charlie Kirk and Christopher Rufo.
However, speaking to the Florida board on Tuesday, Ono addressed the subject, the New York Times reported.
“I understand that a few individuals have circulated older statements or videos from me regarding DEI programs at the University of Michigan and [the University of British Columbia],” Ono said. “In hindsight, I see those moments differently now, too. What matters most is not what I said two to six years ago, but what I have done in the past year and a half.”
Ono oversaw a major expansion of DEI efforts as leader of the University of Michigan. He has also made comments in the past suggesting America is racist, has been accused of flubbing the institution’s response to rabid pro-Palestinian campus protests, and has a history of supporting efforts to end the use of fossil fuels.
“Ono did not renounce his past positions on climate change, but he also told the board he would not use his personal opinions to influence Florida policy,” the Times reported, quoting Ono as saying: “My goal is to provide the state with the best possible data.”
While Ono touts the March closure of the DEI office at UMich, it only came two months after President Trump’s executive order calling for universities to do so or risk investigations and the loss of federal funding.
Ono is in line to take the place of Interim President Kent Fuchs, who took over after President Ben Sasse, a former Republican U.S. senator, had to resign, citing personal family health issues.
Now Ono’s critics have turned their attention to the Board of Governors, which must approve the pick. Writing for City Journal on Tuesday, Rufo argued the board should restart the search, that Ono does not align with Florida’s well-known defiance of DEI.
“The University of Florida deserves better than a president who, throughout his career, has sounded more like Ibram X. Kendi and Greta Thunberg than Ron DeSantis and Ben Sasse,” he wrote.
“Though conservatives do not proliferate in academia, several qualified candidates could be recruited in a new search, which should draw more widely from universities, business, politics, and administration. It is better to proceed slowly and end with a solid conservative than to rush the process and end up with a standard-issue progressive.”
Members of the Board of Governors did not respond Tuesday to a request from The College Fix seeking comment.
MORE: Under Ono, UMich maintained 1,100 DEI-related jobs