Santa Ono faces the final hurdle in his bid to become the University of Florida’s next president Tuesday.
It could be his toughest yet.
Ono has faced an intense lobbying effort against his approval from conservative politicians and activists, including U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds and Donald Trump Jr., who have called on the state Board of Governors to veto Ono’s presidency over prior comments on diversity initiatives and climate change.
The 17-member board, which oversees the state university system, will interview Ono ahead of its vote on whether to approve him. Should the board block Ono, it would be the first time in its 22-year history that it had overruled a college’s trustees over a leadership pick.
Absent from the conversation is Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, typically vocal on campus issues and whose allies have increasingly populated the president’s office at Florida’s public colleges and universities.
Despite rumors of lobbying from the governor’s office, DeSantis has remained neutral on the issue, said Ashley Bell Barnett, who has served on the board since 2023.
“The governor said: ‘Vote your conscience,’” Bell Barnett said. “He’s not twisting anyone’s arm one way or another.”
The board will also have a chance to weigh in on Ono’s compensation package, worth more than $15 million over five years. Along with typical metrics like enrollment and graduation rates, Ono will be tasked with combating diversity, equity and inclusion efforts on campus, the Miami Herald first reported.
Ono previously called climate change an existential threat and helped launch the University of Michigan’s “D.E.I. 2.0″ program in 2023 while serving as the school’s president. He has since repeatedly walked back both stances, citing his changing views and stance of institutional neutrality on controversial issues.
“People have pointed out comments that he’s made that are not exactly comments that we’re looking for in a state where woke goes to die. And I cringe at some of these statements,” DeSantis said last week.
But, DeSantis said, UF’s board of trustees determined that Ono had “reached the limit on campus leftism” and now “wants to be more in line with what Florida is doing and our policies.”
Others remained unconvinced.
“It is unthinkable that ‘evolving his perspective over time’ qualifies Dr. Ono as the absolute best fit for our administration’s leadership,” Republican U.S. Rep. Gregory Steube wrote in a letter to the Board of Governors Friday.
Republican U.S. Sen. Rick Scott called on the board to “investigate” the presidential pick, Florida Politics reported.
“It’s politics. What are you going to say?” said outgoingCommissioner of Education Manny Diaz, who serves on the Board of Governors.
Diaz said he’s not been pressured to vote either way and is waiting for Ono’s interview to make his decision.
“I’m really interested in seeing the questions and answers,” he said. “I’m ready to listen to that.”
Ballard Health CEO Alan Levine, who has served on the board since 2017, said he’s waiting to learn more about Ono’s leadership philosophy.
“Ono has a very impressive resume,” Levine said. “I need to know who he is and how he makes decisions.
“We’re ultimately responsible for this process,” he said. “We’re not a rubber stamp.”
Editors’ Note: An earlier version of this story misstated the Board of Governors member who voted against New College President Richard Corcoran. This version has been updated.