University of Michigan President Santa Ono may be leaving Ann Arbor to become president of the University of Florida.
Ono sent an email to all UM staff last night announcing that he is the sole finalist for the top job in Gainesville.
“Dr. Ono’s proven record of academic excellence, innovation and collaborative leadership at world-class institutions made him our unanimous choice,” said Rahul Patel, chair of the school's presidential search committee.
Ono has been president at Michigan for three years and would be become the University of Florida's 14th president.
Ono says Florida's Board of Governors must still approve his appointment. He is scheduled to visit the Gainesville campus on Tuesday for a series of public forums with students, faculty, and administrators.
Ono says he expects to assume his new role later this summer.
He succeeded former U-of-M President Mark Schlissel in October 2022.
The U of M Board of Regents extended Ono’s contract through 20-32 last fall.
In his message, Ono said serving as U of M’s president has been “a distinct honor.”
“Few moments in higher education are as exciting as this one at the University of Florida,” Ono said. “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."
He highlighted several accomplishments during his tenure at U of M, including a multi-billion-dollar infrastructure campaign and expansion of artificial intelligence research and other academic investments.
But his presidency has not been without controversy.
Group’s protesting the war in Gaza have criticized Ono’s refusal to support calls to divest university investments in Israel, and criticized the U of M’s crackdown on those protests.
As U.S. colleges pull back on diversity, equity and inclusion practices as they respond to the Trump administration’s orders against diversity practices, the University of Michigan was among the first schools to make major DEI rollbacks to avoid federal scrutiny. Ono had said the school will find other ways to support students, including an expansion of scholarships for low-income students.
The University of Michigan holds Michigan Public's broadcast license.
