Former University of Michigan president Santa Ono’s bid to take over the same role at the University of Florida was rejected on Tuesday, as he faced backlash over his handling of anti-Israel protests in Ann Arbor.
The Florida state university system’s Board of Governors voted 10-6 against a motion to confirm Ono, the only candidate for the job, after grilling Ono earlier in the afternoon over his handling of pro-Hamas encampments on the University of Michigan campus. Ono announced his departure from Michigan on May 4, and had already been unanimously approved for the new role by the University of Florida’s Board of Trustees.
“How can the UF community be assured you’ll be realistic about the prominence of anti-Semitism on college campuses, shut down protests, and keep public order?” U.S. Rep Byron Donalds (R-Fla.) wrote on X on Monday. “Now more than ever, Floridians deserve answers.”
Donalds is the current frontrunner in the 2026 race for Florida governor.
“This is the right decision for UF,” U.S. Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) wrote in an X post after the vote. “UF’s students, faculty and staff deserve a president who will stand for Florida values and against antisemitism.”
Scott said in a statement prior to the vote that Ono had a “concerning record” with regard to the encampments, “putting Jewish students in danger and failing to uphold even the most basic standards of leadership.”
Ono faced harsh backlash from a number of other Sunshine State Republicans, including U.S. Rep. Greg Steube.
“Hollow assurances of an ‘evolved mindset’ cannot erase Dr. Ono’s history of preferential treatment for far-left causes, coupled with his cold indifference to student safety,” Steube wrote in a statement issued last Friday, referencing comments Ono had made about his own thought process.
Ono cited a lack of resources, free speech concerns and a desire not to affect graduation ceremonies as his reasons for failing to break up the encampments. Nine protesters were arrested on Michigan’s campus last year, including several students.
The homes of several high-ranking Jewish officials at Michigan have been vandalized since Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023 massacre in southern Israel.
Jordan Acker, a Michigan regent, had rocks thrown through the window of his home and his car graffitied with pro-Palestinian messaging. His law office was also targeted.
Appearing to acknowledge Tuesday’s vote, Acker tweeted a quote from author Fran Lebowitz: “He doesn’t believe in anything—just auditions for approval in whatever room he’s in.”