UF trustee chair calls Ono rejection ‘deeply disappointing’

The chairman of the University of Florida’s trustees on Thursday called the decision to vote down the confirmation of Santa Ono as the university’s next president “deeply disappointing.”

“Our board of trustees stands by the integrity of the search, the strength of the candidates it produced and the principles that guided our work,” said Chairman Mori Hosseini, at a UF board of trustees meeting in Gainesville. “This outcome is deeply disappointing to our Board of Trustees.”

Florida’s Board of Governors, which has final say on who leads the state’s 12 universities, nixed Ono’s appointment at a meeting Tuesday.

Both the board of governors and UF’s board of trustees are comprised largely of appointees from Gov. Ron DeSantis — who has been publicly mum on Ono’s rejection.

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