University of Florida Picks Columbia Physician Dr. Donald W. Landry as Interim President After Board Rejects Santa Ono Over DEI

👉 Read the full story at NewsLink7.com

#UniversityOfFlorida #DonaldLandry #SantaOno #DEI #HigherEducation #News #WorldNews #Noticias newslink7.com

Will the real Santa Ono please stand up? Ex-head of UBC rejected for highest paid university president’s job on continent because authorities didn’t believe he rejected DEI programs

Douglas Todd: Will the real Santa Ono please stand up?
#UBC #santaono
vancouversun.com/opinion/colu...

Judas in a Suit: Santa Ono Took the Deal—And Still Got Denied There’s a photo of me on the internet with Santa Ono that I regret more than any other in my life. At the time, I stood beside him with pride. He was a fellow academic, a university president who c…

An excellent read...

We need leaders who cannot be bought. #SantaOno

cloakinginequity.com/2025/06/03/j...

Political Cartoon: Santa Ono shocked to have face eaten my Gators Eating People's Faces Party

cartoon for @michiganpublic.bsky.social #florida #michigan #SantaOno

Former University of Michigan President Santa Ono rejected to lead University of Florida The 10-6 vote comes weeks after the Board of Trustees unanimously approved Ono for the university's 14th president.

This is so f’d up!

#SantaOno #rondesantis #UofF #universityofflorida #FLpoli #FLApoli #DEI

[via @cbsnews.com]

We Just Witnessed One of the Greatest Face-Plants of the Trump Era. Savor It. — Slate There is a Big House–sized lesson in here.

Call out #SantaOno & those who capitulate to hate, to appease the GOP Reich for personal gain. apple.news/Af7nYNrQmQQC... MAGA GOP embraces exclusion acts, internment camps & Jim Crow. eddmarv.medium.com/nothing-new-... @umichlaw.bsky.social @sun-sentinel.com @neatoday.bsky.social @slate.com

Judas in a Suit: Santa Ono Took the Deal—And Still Got Denied There’s a photo of me on the internet with Santa Ono that I regret more than any other in my life. At the time, I stood beside him with pride. He was a fellow academic, a university president who c…

#SantaOno cloakinginequity.com/2025/06/03/j...

#trends today for 'national park' 'santa ono' & 'banning products'

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#nationalpark #santaono #banningproducts

Reading about the BOG’s questions to #santaono… this #modelminority person got set up to be publicly embarrassed! I wanna feel sad for him but dude was trying too hard to be accepted. 🤷🏾‍♀️🤷🏾‍♀️🤷🏾‍♀️

Trump Jr. calls on University of Florida’s board to reject new president (The Hill) Donald Trump Jr. called on the University of Florida’s board of governors to reject former University of Michigan president Santa Ono as UF’s president fol...

#SantaOno is called a woke commie by #DonaldTrumpJr
as he is called to lead the University of Florida.
His crime? He once supported DEL.

Maybe if he embezzlement mo by from nursing homes and health care workers, he would be fine.
l.smartnews.com/p-lpas344/yB...

Is Florida's University of Florida Ready for a Leadership Shake-Up? In a state known for its bold political stances, the University of Florida's upcoming presidential selection is sparking heated debate, raising questions

Is the University of Florida ready for a big leadership change amid political debates with Governor DeSantis? This could reshape higher education! What's your view? 🔥
#RonDeSantis #SantaOno #UniversityofFlorida

What a fucking embarrassment to the JA community. Total fucking lying sack of shit appearance at WHIAANAPI last year. What a disgrace.
#SantaOno

Original post on federate.social

Former University of Michigan (now University of Florida) President Santa Ono is a boot-licking, cowardly, sellout asshole, and I hope he never has a day of peace for the rest of his miserable, treasonous life.
#politics #USPol #UMich #UFL #SantaOno […]

my students, constantly. but the president???

Rahul Patel compares this to how Todd Golden recruits, “we want people who want to wear Florida on their jersey.”

and that concludes the staff forum! #UF #SantaOno

i’m in the staff forum meeting awaiting Santa Ono, there are so many people apparently that i’m in a secondary room down the hall. i had to wait in line outside before they let us in. palpable (but not overbearing) police presence #UF #SantaOno

What Secrets Lie Behind Santa Ono's Sudden Exit from Michigan? In a surprising twist in higher education leadership, Santa Ono, the president of the University of Michigan, is poised to take the helm at the University of

What's the real story behind Santa Ono's sudden exit from the University of Michigan? Discover the twists in US higher education that might surprise you! 😲 Share your thoughts!
#DEIcuts #SantaOno #UniversityofMichigan

While Ono's UM departure welcomed by critics, there's a worry of brand damage Some University of Michigan faculty and students on Monday welcomed President Santa Ono's decision to leave the institution, arguing that he tried to "centralize" decision-making at UM and didn't fight the Trump administration's higher education policies. But one alumnus worried that Ono's announcement on Sunday that he plans to step down after being selected as the sole finalist for the University of Florida's presidency will hurt Michigan's brand as a prestigious university. Scott Greer, a UM professor of health management and policy and a political scientist, said the UM community had "tremendously high hopes" for Ono when he first arrived. "A lot of people really wanted him to succeed," Greer said. "And it became disappointing for, I think, practically every stakeholder very, very quickly." There was much discussion among UM faculty of holding a vote of no confidence in Ono for "failing to provide leadership," said Rebekah Modrak, a professor in the Penny W. Stamps School of Art & Design. Until May 1, Modrak chaired the Senate Advisory Committee on University Affairs, which is the nine-member executive arm of UM's central faculty governance system. The vote didn't happen, but nearly 93% of the UM Faculty Senate voters supported a motion to enter into a mutual defense pact with other Big Ten schools. Ono's imminent departure from Ann Arbor is coming after less than three years at the helm — the shortest in the university's history — and follows campus unrest over the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza and the dismantling of the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. Recently, four Democratic regents urged Ono to resist President Donald Trump's threats to strip colleges of research dollars unless they ended their DEI efforts, scrub the curricula of far-left ideology and aggressively combat antisemitism. More: Finley: The insult that cost the University of Michigan its president Some faculty on Monday argued that higher education is under attack and said Ono wasn't "a wartime leader" and failed to "defend academic freedom." One graduate student said Ono opposed the student movement seeking to isolate Israel amid the Israel-Hamas war and is glad that Ono is leaving. But Rabbi Davey Rosen, chief executive officer of University of Michigan Hillel, noted that Ono led Michigan "during a very difficult period for Jewish students." "Over the past several months, President Ono has made it clear that antisemitism has no place at Michigan and taken a series of steps to make sure that UM remains a place in which Jewish students are free from harassment, intimidation and attacks," Rosen said in a statement. "We hope that this is something that the next president continues to build on." In a message to the UM community Sunday, Ono wrote that he expects to assume the new role at the University of Florida later this summer once the appointment is approved by the University of Florida's board of governors. He called serving as UM's president during the past three academic years a distinct honor. “Every day, I have been inspired beyond words by the vibrancy, brilliance, and dedication of our faculty, staff, students, and alumni,” he wrote. “I will miss the extraordinary intellectual vitality that fills our classrooms and laboratories, the sublime sounds of our musical and theatrical performances, and the roar of fans cheering on the Wolverines — or singing ‘Mr. Brightside’ together in joyful unity.” UM spokesperson Kay Jarvis said Ono is declining interview opportunities at this time. Recent presidents, including Mary Sue Coleman and James Duderstadt, led the university for 13 years and eight years, respectively. Lee Bollinger left the UM presidency in 2001 to lead Columbia University, a prestigious Ivy League institution. Hurting 'the brand' John Mularoni, a 1981 UM graduate and a retired communications consultant, said he worries about "this focus on politics hurting the University of Michigan brand." He read a Detroit News column on Monday that reported that meddling by the Democratic majority Board of Regents led to Ono’s departure. “There are a lot of people who are nonideological and non-lefties who went to Michigan,” said Mularoni, who is 67 and lives in Bloomfield Hills. “The fact that Ono faced pressure on DEI and politics will hurt the brand. He is going to a Florida college system that is focused on academics, not politics. It’s a reflection on Michigan and the liberal, Democratic majority on the Board of Regents, not Ono.” But Modrak argued that Ono was missing in action as the Trump administration took actions that undermined what she and others considered academic freedom. "In winter semester, as many faculty and universities were working furiously to create coalitions to defend higher education and research funding for life-saving, culture-changing, and economy-building research, President Ono went AWOL," she said in a statement. "He canceled both of his President's Council meetings. He didn't show up for an appointment to meet with SACUA." Modrak said she spent most of her year as chair defending the institution "from Ono's assaults on campus speech and his punitive turn toward student activism, his reduction of our campus to a surveillance state by hiring plain clothes officers to trail and photograph students and the installation of thousands of high-powered surveillance cameras on our public square and across campus, his failure to defend academic freedom, his choice to remove our Office of DEI and fire valuable staff," and other actions by Ono. Ono and the regents have argued that they defended freedom of expression while pursuing students and others who crossed the line. A new free speech policy, approved in January 2024, noted: "Our deep commitment to free expression does not extend to speech or conduct that violates the law or University policy, including targeted speech that involves bullying, defamation, destruction of property, harassment, violence, or threats." The homes of several UM leaders, including Ono, were vandalized with pro-Palestinian messages, while the law office and home of Regent Jordan Acker, who is Jewish, were vandalized. Modrak noted that Ono was unable to "build bridges," failed to meet with survivors of sexual abuse and was unwilling to "attempt to listen to the students protesting the war on Gaza." Silke-Maria Weineck, a professor of German studies and comparative literature at the university, said Ono has not engaged in "shared governance." "He has completely ignored faculty governance's input and student governance input," she said. Weineck said Ono closed the DEI office "without any consultation with the faculty." She also said Ono's policies "centralized power" in UM's administration. Weineck noted that this is "an incredibly dangerous moment for universities." "You need a fighter," she said. "You need a really savvy and courageous fighter, and that is not who Ono is." Greer, the professor of health management and policy, said most faculty are "very relieved to see him go." "His behavior in the last six months makes a great deal more sense if you know he was auditioning for a red state job with a high salary and not a lot of dignity," he said, referring to Florida. The Alumni Association of the University of Michigan "doesn’t have anything to add" regarding the news of Ono's departure, spokesman Rob Clendening said. Students react to Ono's departure “I say good riddance,” said Ember McCoy, 33, of Ann Arbor, and a UM graduate student who has opposed Attorney General Dana Nessel's criminal charges against pro-Palestinian student protesters, charges that were dropped Monday. He views Ono as part of the campaign opposed to the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement seeking to isolate Israel. But he said Ono's departure "doesn't solve all of our problems." "The regents are very much invested in remaining invested in Israel and repressing the movement on campus and across the community. I’m glad he’s gone, and I would like to think that activism on campus played a role in making him unhappy here. But ... whoever is picked for president next could be the same or worse.” Tiffany Pang, 24, of Ann Arbor, who graduated this year from UM with a degree in economics, said Ono’s departure was sudden. “I was surprised,” she said, wearing her cap and gown outside of the Michigan Union late Monday morning. “He hasn’t been here very long.” Pang said a lot of students like her were not happy with the university’s decision to dissolve the school’s diversity and inclusion programs in response to an executive order by President Donald Trump that pledged to end federal aid for institutions that didn't end their DEI programs. “I think maybe his leaving is good news," Pang said. asnabes@detroitnews.com cramirez@detroitnews.com This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: While Ono's UM departure welcomed by critics, there's a worry of brand damage

While Ono's UM departure welcomed by critics, there's a worry of brand damage #UniversityOfMichigan #SantaOno #HigherEducation

Finley: The insult that cost the University of Michigan its president Just six months ago President Santa Ono signed a contract extension with the University of Michigan aimed at keeping him a Wolverine for at least another seven years. Sunday, news broke that Ono, who was hired by UM in 2022 and is considered one of the brightest stars in the academic universe, will become the new leader of the University of Florida, a respected school, but a notch or two below the stature of Michigan. The question of what happened since October, when the extension was signed affirming the university's satisfaction with Ono and making him among the nation's top paid public university presidents, has an answer too familiar in Michigan: board meddling. Michigan regents wanted so much to keep Ono they raised his pay to $1.3 million, a 33% increase, just halfway through his initial contract. But not so much that they were willing to stay out of his way and let him do his job. Democrats, who hold a 6-2 majority on the board, tried to pressure Ono into a confrontation with the Trump administration over the president's executive orders regarding woke policies, campus antisemitism and how federal research dollars are spent. Ono balked. No one expected the dispute to break what has been a harmonious relationship. But when the regents took the disagreement public, Florida seized the opportunity to land a superstar, ended its search for a new president and offered Ono the post. So instead of being Michigan's future, Ono leaves after just 2.5 years as the shortest-serving president in the school's history and the only one to ever leave for the presidency of another public university. More: Past University of Michigan presidents The grievances between Ono and the board were not cumulative. Rather, throughout this tumultuous year on college campuses, the president and regents were largely aligned on policies to respond to protests and other issues. Ono and the regents were in accord in shutting down the on-campus encampments erected by anti-Israel protesters, a move that angered student and faculty groups. They also stood together in rejecting calls to disinvest in Israel. When Trump ordered an end to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives, UM was among the first to comply, closing its DEI office and reassigning its resources. The regents concurred the programs encouraged antisemitism and created a hostile environment for Jewish students. Ono and the board also worked together in replacing DEI with an array of new efforts to increase accessibility to UM for all students. They separated, however, over how to respond to Trump's executive orders. Ono's priority was to keep UM out of the administration's crosshairs. He said privately he didn't want to put the university's research funding and non-profit tax status at risk. There was no indication the administration was looking at Michigan, so why raise a red flag? Democratic regents, led by Mark Bernstein and Jordan Acker, wanted to make a public show of resistance to the orders. Acker is up for election next year and faces a Democratic nominating process dominated by the far left. The regents penned an op-ed presented to the New York Times urging UM to join Harvard and other major universities in defying Trump. The piece implied Michigan lacked courage and moral clarity in staying silent. And though the piece never ran, it stung Ono, who was asked to sign it and refused. Those close to the president say he took it as a personal affront to his leadership, and worse, an insult to his character. So, what could have been a long and productive relationship is over. Ono, 62, who previously served at the University of British Columbia, was happy at UM. A huge sports fan, he reveled in the 2023 football national championship. He also immersed himself in campus life, playing the cello in musical productions. He had no intentions to leave Michigan. But he could not abide such a public challenge. While Florida lacks Michigan's prestige, it may be a better fit for Ono, who leans to the right politically and is a devout Christian. Unlike Michigan, which has an elected board, Florida trustees are appointed by the governor, who is currently Republican Ron DeSantis. Ono replaces Ben Sasse, who previously served as a Republican senator from Nebraska. Florida also has a statewide university system that includes 12 colleges and 430,000 students, with the University of Florida at its center. It enjoys tremendous financial support from the state, boasting that its extensive financial aid programs bring the average cost of an undergraduate degree to just $1,300. Michigan will find another president. That's never the question; its presidency is among the most sought-after positions in academia. The question is whether this board will allow the next president it hires to run the university. Sign up for the Nolan Out Loud report. This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Finley: The insult that cost the University of Michigan its president

Finley: The insult that cost the University of Michigan its president #UniversityOfMichigan #SantaOno #HigherEducation

UM's Ono picked as sole finalist for University of Florida's presidency University of Michigan Santa Ono announced Sunday that he has been selected as the sole finalist in the running for the University of Florida’s next president. In a message to the University of Michigan community Sunday, Ono wrote that he expects to assume the new role later this summer once the appointment is approved by the university's board of governors. “I have informed the Chair of the University of Michigan Board of Regents, Kathy White, of my decision,” he wrote. “This decision was not made lightly, given the deep bond Wendy and I have formed with this extraordinary community.” The University of Florida wrote in an announcement Sunday that its presidential search committee unanimously and enthusiastically recommended Ono to be considered by its Board of Trustees as the sole finalist to become the university’s 14th president. “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,” Rahul Patel, Chair of the Presidential Search Committee, wrote in a statement. “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.” Ono called serving as UM's president during the past three academic years a distinct honor. “Every day, I have been inspired beyond words by the vibrancy, brilliance, and dedication of our faculty, staff, students, and alumni,” Ono wrote. “I will miss the extraordinary intellectual vitality that fills our classrooms and laboratories, the sublime sounds of our musical and theatrical performances, and the roar of fans cheering on the Wolverines — or singing ‘Mr. Brightside’ together in joyful unity.” Ono has served as the 15th president of the University of Michigan since October 2022. Ono said earlier this year that the University of Michigan, like all colleges and universities, is facing enormous challenges as it works to navigate executive orders issued by President Donald Trump. Amid protests on campus, Ono and other university leaders recently closed the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and shifted he resources to other student programs, "such as financial aid, mental health resources, pre-professional counseling and other efforts that strengthen community, promote a sense of belonging and expand accessibility." Ono joined UM from the University of British Columbia after the school wrestled with turmoil, such as the regents' January 2022 firing of then-President Mark Schlissel after an investigation found inappropriate conduct with an employee, which Schlissel denied. The university also grappled with sexual assault scandals, including one involving the late physician Robert Anderson, who was accused of sexually assaulting former students, mostly men, which led to a settlement in September 2022 with more than 1,000 people of $490 million. Regents ratified a new contract for Ono in October, extending his presidency at the time another eight years to 2032 after serving as president for two years. The new contract also boosted his base salary to $1.3 million, which is 33% more than the $975,000 annual salary he got when starting in 2022. The only other public university president to rival Ono's contract at that time was the one for former University of Florida President Ben Sasse. This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: UM's Ono picked as sole finalist for University of Florida's presidency

UM's Ono picked as sole finalist for University of Florida's presidency #UniversityOfFlorida #SantaOno #HigherEducation

Unbelievable. I love the University of Michigan. Please don't obey in advance. It never turns out well. #Santaono please band together with all other universities and tell the Trump administration to take a hike. Diversity, Equity & Inclusion are core values at Michigan. #GoBlue

University of Michigan announces end to DEI plans and related office closures The University of Michigan is ending its diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives and closing its related offices, according to a letter sent Thursday from the school’s president, Santa Ono.

www.wxyz.com/news/univers...

It is time for @UniversityofMichigan president #SantaOno to resign. He’s a disgrace.

UM's Ono warns higher education faces 'a critical moment' after Trump moves The University of Michigan, like all colleges and universities, is facing enormous challenges as it works to navigate executive orders issued during the first few weeks of a new presidential administration, President Santa Ono said Thursday. “The…

The University of Michigan, like all colleges and universities, is facing enormous challenges as it works to navigate executive orders issued during the first few weeks of a new presidential administration, President Santa Ono said Thursday.


“The… #HigherEducation #UniversityOfMichigan #SantaOno