Ex-UM President Santa Ono Lands job at Science Institute

Ex-U-M President Santa Ono

Santa Ono left the University of Michigan earlier this year to take a job as president of the University of Florida. The problem was, in June, the Florida Board of Governors rejected the appointment, leaving him without a job.

Now, Ono has taken a position at the Ellison Institute of Technology Global, a science institute with campuses in Los Angeles and Oxford, England.

The EIT website writes:

He moved into academic leadership from a distinguished career in biomedical research and immunology. A key part of President Ono’s responsibilities will include working with Sir John Bell, the President of EIT Oxford, in developing and expanding the science programs at EIT’s Oxford Campus.

Ellison Institute of Technology endeavours to develop and deploy commercially sustainable solutions to solve some of humanity’s most enduring challenges. EIT’s scientific research and development programs are focused in four primary areas: Health, Medical Science and Generative Biology, Food Security and Sustainable Agriculture, Clean Energy Generation and Storage, and Artificial Intelligence and Robotics.

Ono left the University of Michigan amid controversy over DEI and Palestinian protests on campus. But in Florida, he faced opposition from conservatives in the state who were concerned about his support for DEI. Ono recently stated that he now believes his support for such programs was misguided and that they do more harm than good.

Opposition to his Florida appointment came from several Republican lawmakers, including Florida Sen. Rick Scott and from Donald Trump Jr.