By Jim Saunders ©2025 The News Service of Florida
TALLAHASSEE — Santa Ono, who has led the University of Michigan since 2022, is the sole finalist to become president of the University of Florida, UF announced Sunday.
A presidential search committee recommended that the UF Board of Trustees approve Ono after a search that began last year following the abrupt resignation of former President Ben Sasse. Kent Fuchs, a former UF president, has served as interim president.
“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,” Rahul Patel, a UF trustee and chairman of the search committee, said in a prepared statement Sunday. “Dr. Ono’s proven record of academic excellence, innovation and collaborative leadership at world-class institutions made him our unanimous choice.”
Ono, who has a doctorate in experimental medicine from McGill University in Canada, served as president of the University of Cincinnati and the University of British Columbia before becoming president of the University of Michigan.
Ono is scheduled to visit the Gainesville campus Tuesday for forums with students, faculty members and administrators, according to Sunday’s announcement. If approved by the UF Board of Trustees, his selection would need confirmation from the state university system’s Board of Governors.
Sasse, a former U.S. senator from Nebraska, served less than two years as president before announcing last summer he would step down because of his wife’s health. Subsequent reporting by the Independent Florida Alligator student newspaper raised questions about issues such as spending on travel and high-level employees who did not live in Florida. Sasse denied inappropriate spending.
Sunday’s announcement came after the Florida House this spring unsuccessfully sought to revamp laws about college and university presidential searches, including trying to repeal a 2022 law that provided exemptions to public records and public meetings laws for information about most candidates for presidencies. Under the law, only information about finalists for the positions is released.
The House proposal died Friday when the Senate did not take it up before lawmakers finished most business of this year’s legislative session.
The UF announcement Sunday said the search committee “was responsible for designing the search criteria, identifying and vetting a broad pool of qualified candidates, and recommending finalists to the Board of Trustees.” It did not provide information about other candidates.
Members of the search committee were announced in October.
The university system has seen heavy turnover in presidents in recent years. Former state House Majority Leader Adam Hasner was selected in February to become president of Florida Atlantic University, while former Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nunez was named interim president of Florida International University.
Last month, Florida A&M University announced the names of four finalists to become its president. In addition, University of South Florida President Rhea Law has announced she is stepping down.
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