Former Michigan president Santa Ono has been rejected by the University of Florida's Board of Governors as the university's next president.
In what is normally a formality vote, the Board of Governors voted to reject Ono by a count of 10-6 Tuesday at a board meeting.
Per The Tampa Bay Times, it is the first time in the Board of Governors’ 20-year history that members have overturned a university’s presidential selection.
Ono had come under fire from conservative Florida politicians in the past month about his prior stances on diversity, equity and inclusion programs and his handling of pro-Palestine protests, which spurred outrage from some university officials.
According to The Gainesville Sun, Ono was scheduled to sign a five-year contract that would have paid him $1.5 million in base salary per year. Ono could have earned as much as $15 million over the life of the contract if he hit performance and retention bonuses, which would have made him one of the highest-paid public university presidents in the country.
Ono left Michigan last month once it was announced he was the lone finalist for Florida's next president. Domenico Grasso is currently serving as Michigan's interim president.
