Santa Ono announced plans to resign at Michigan, take same job at University of Florida
Santa Ono
ANN ARBOR, MICH (Fox 2) - University of Michigan President Santa Ono announced his intentions to resign and take the same job at the University of Florida.
In a message sent to the University of Michigan students, faculty and staff, Ono said that he will likely assume the new role later this summer once the appointment is approved by Florida's board of governors.
"I have informed the Chair of the University of Michigan Board of Regents, Kathy White, of my decision," he wrote. "This decision was not made lightly, given the deep bond Wendy and I have formed with this extraordinary community."
The University of Florida had announced about an hour early that Ono was the sole finalist being recommended for the position.
"On behalf of the Presidential Search Committee, I am proud to announce Dr. Santa Ono as the sole finalist to be the University of Florida’s next president," said Rahul Patel, Chair of the Presidential Search Committee. "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. Dr. Ono’s proven record of academic excellence, innovation and collaborative leadership at world-class institutions made him our unanimous choice. We are confident he is the right person to build on UF’s strong foundation and help realize our bold vision for the future."
His past roles include president and vice chancellor of the University of British Columbia, president of the University of Cincinnati, and senior vice provost at Emory University.
Ono is scheduled to visit the Gainesville campus on May 6, for a series of public forums with students, faculty, and administrators.
"I want to thank the Search Committee and the many members of the UF community who contributed to this process," said Mori Hosseini, Chair of the UF Board of Trustees. "This is a great day for the University of Florida and the State of Florida. UF is on an extraordinary trajectory, and the Board remains fully committed to seeing UF become not only the best public university in the nation, but also one of the most influential institutions of higher learning in the country. We are grateful to our state’s government leaders for supporting this mission. I fully support this unanimous recommendation and am confident in Dr. Ono’s ability to guide UF to even greater success. We look forward to welcoming Dr. Ono, his wife Wendy Yip, and their daughters Juliana and Sarah to the Gator Nation."