ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Longtime educational Santa Ono was rejected Tuesday for the College of Florida presidency by the state college system board amid sharp criticism from political conservatives about his previous assist for variety, fairness and inclusion packages and different initiatives they view as unacceptable liberal ideology.
The Florida Board of Governors, which oversees the state’s universities, voted 10-6 towards Ono, who was most lately president of the College of Michigan. The College of Florida Board of Trustees had voted unanimously in Might to approve Ono as the college’s 14th president, and it’s unprecedented for the governors to reverse such an motion.
Now the search will begin throughout.
Ono’s proposed contract included various ideological necessities, akin to how effectively he stopped packages that target variety, fairness and inclusion, or DEI. He was to cooperate with Gov. Ron DeSantis’ Workplace of Authorities Effectivity — just like the workplace created by President Donald Trump — and appoint different college officers and deans who’re “firmly aligned” with Florida’s method.
A number of outstanding conservatives raised questions on Ono earlier than the vote over pro-Palestinian protests, local weather change efforts, gender ideology and DEI packages on the College of Michigan and his earlier educational positions.
These actions, Republican U.S. Sen. Rick Scott of Florida stated on the X social platform, present “he’s keen to appease and prioritize far-left activists over making certain college students are protected and obtain a high quality training.” Others elevating objections embrace Donald Trump Jr. and Florida GOP U.S. Reps. Byron Donalds, Greg Steube and Jimmy Patronis. Donalds is a Republican candidate for governor.
Writing in Inside Greater Ed, Ono stated he supported DEI initiatives at first as a result of they purpose was “equal alternative and equity for each pupil.”
“However over time, I noticed how DEI grew to become one thing else — extra about ideology, division and forms, not pupil success,” Ono wrote, including that he finally restricted DEI places of work at Michigan. “I consider in Florida’s imaginative and prescient for increased training.”
DeSantis, a Republican who has pushed reforms in increased training to get rid of what he calls “woke” insurance policies akin to DEI, didn’t take a public stand on Ono however did say at a current information convention that a few of his statements made the governor “cringe.”
Ono confronted related pointed questions at Tuesday’s assembly — particularly from former Republican state Home audio system Paul Renner and Jose Oliva — main board member Charles Lydecker to object to the process.
“Now we have by no means used this as a discussion board to interrogate. This isn’t a court docket of regulation. Candidly, this course of doesn’t appear truthful to me,” Lydecker stated.
Oliva, nevertheless, questioned learn how to sq. Ono’s many previous statements about hot-button cultural points together with his extra conservative stance now that he sought the Florida job.
“Now we’re informed to consider you are actually abandoning a complete ideological structure,” Oliva stated. “We’re asking somebody to guide our flagship college. I do not perceive the way it turns into unfair.”
Steube, writing on X, praised the board for its determination.
“Nice information for my alma mater and the state of Florida! The Board of Governors heard us loud and clear: Santa Ono was the incorrect alternative for UF,” the congressman stated.
Ono was to switch Kent Fuchs, who grew to become the college’s short-term, interim president final summer time after ex-U.S. Sen. Ben Sasse stepped down. Sasse left the U.S. Senate, the place he had represented Nebraska, to grow to be the college’s president in 2023.
Sasse introduced in July he was leaving the job after his spouse was identified with epilepsy.
Later reviews surfaced that Sasse gave six former staffers and two former Republican officers jobs with salaries that outstripped comparable positions and spent over $1.3 million on non-public catering for lavish dinners, soccer tailgates and lavish social features in his first 12 months on the job.
Ono can be the previous president of the College of British Columbia and the College of Cincinnati.
