Ono announced on May 4 he was taking the University of Florida president's job later this summer. He explained his decision in an Inside Higher Education column.

In an announcement Sunday, Santa J. Ono, the president for the University of Michigan informed students and faculty he would be taking a new position as the president of the University of Florida, after the college’s presidential search committee named Ono its sole finalist for the position.

At that time, he agreed to a five-year term."Serving as your president over these past three academic years has been a distinct honor," Ono said in the letter. "Every day, I have been inspired beyond words by the vibrancy,