University of Michigan hires Santa Ono as new president


The University of Michigan announced Wednesday that its next president will be Santa J. Ono, a biomedical researcher known for his leadership on college affordability and climate change action.

Dr Ono, who is currently president and vice-chancellor of the University of British Columbia, was chosen after a months-long search for a permanent successor to Mark S. Schlissel, who was fired in January for this which the university called an inappropriate relationship. with a subordinate.

In announcing Dr. Ono’s selection, the university said he would become Michigan’s first Asian American leader. Born in Vancouver to Japanese immigrant parents, he grew up in Pennsylvania and Maryland and also holds US citizenship.

Michigan, one of the nation’s top public universities, received a record 84,000 applications for the class this fall. But Dr. Ono, 59, will take the helm during a contentious and difficult time on college campuses, divided by culture wars as well as debates over college costs. Beyond the Dr. Schlissel firing controversy, the university has also had to deal with the coronavirus pandemic, divisive cultural issues, the firing of a provost over sexual harassment charges, and a scandal. of sexual abuse involving a doctor, for which he agreed to pay $490 million.

In an interview, Dr Ono said he intended to make it his mission to “work for the public good” and provide an “unusual education for the common person”, embracing the mantra of one of long-time presidents of the university.

Recognizing that healing was needed at the university after Dr Schlissel’s unusual departure, Dr Ono said he hoped to unify faculty, staff and students.

On the particularly controversial topic of abortion, Dr Ono, who identifies as a devout Christian, said he did not disagree with previous statements from the university, including one released by the faculty of University Medicine on June 24 saying that Michigan “remains committed to providing high quality and safe reproductive care for patients,” including “abortion care.”

A 1931 law in Michigan prohibiting abortion has not been enforced and is currently the subject of a legal battle.

Paul Brown, president of the Michigan Regents, called Dr. Ono someone who “understands two usually conflicting personality traits – he is open, empathetic and approachable, yet analytical and enterprising at the same time.” The board voted unanimously to endorse Dr. Ono.

Known in scientific circles mainly for his work on the immune system and eye diseases, Dr. Ono also has a more playful side. He is known for dressing up in a Santa costume, a riff on his first name. He is also considered an ardent sports fan, an asset to a top Big Ten university.

On a more serious level, he laid bare his personal struggles with mental health in his youth. Following a student suicide at the University of Cincinnati, where Dr Ono also served as president, he urged students struggling with mental illness to seek counseling, explaining how he tried to overdose on drugs cold medicine and beer when he was 14 years old. and again attempted suicide in his twenties.

In addition to his leadership roles in British Columbia and Cincinnati, Dr. Ono previously served as Deputy Provost of Emory University. Educated at the University of Chicago and McGill University, Dr. Ono has also taught at Harvard, Johns Hopkins and University College London.

Since Dr. Schlissel’s departure in January, the university has been led by an interim president, Mary Sue Coleman, who had served as Dr. Schlissel’s predecessor until she took office in 2014.