The University of Michigan announced Wednesday that its next president would be Santa J. Ono, a biomedical researcher known for his leadership in college accessibility and action against climate change.
Dr. Ono, who currently serves as president and vice-chancellor of the University of British Columbia, was chosen after a month-long search to find a permanent successor to Mark S. Schlissel, who was fired in January by a inappropriate relationship by the university. with a subordinate.
In announcing the selection of Dr. Ono, 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 has U.S. citizenship.
Michigan, one of the country’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 troubled and difficult time on university campuses, divided by cultural wars and debates over university costs. Beyond the controversy over Dr. Schlissel’s dismissal, the university has also had to deal with the coronavirus pandemic, divisive cultural issues, the dismissal of a rector on charges of sexual harassment and a scandal of sexual abuse with a doctor, for which he agreed to pay $ 490. millions.
In an interview, Dr. Ono said he intended to make his mission “work for the public good” and provide an “unusual education for the common person,” embracing the mantra of one of the long-serving presidents of the University.
Recent editions on American university campuses
Recognizing that healing was necessary in the university after Dr. Schlissel’s unusual departure, Dr. Ono said he hoped to unify faculty, staff and students.
On the especially controversial topic of abortion, Dr. Ono, who identifies himself as a devout Christian, said he disagreed with the university’s earlier statements, including one issued by the university’s medical school on June 24 that said Michigan “is committed to provide safe, high-quality reproductive care for patients, ”including“ abortion care ”.
A 1931 law in Michigan banning abortion has not been enforced and is currently part of a court battle.
Paul Brown, president of the Michigan regents, called Dr. Ono someone who “comprises two generally contradictory personality traits: he is open and empathetic and accessible but at the same time analytical and enterprising.” The Board of Regents voted unanimously to approve Dr. Ono.
Known in scientific circles primarily for his work related to the immune system and eye diseases, Dr. Ono also has a more playful side. He is known to be dressed in a Santa costume, a riff of his first name. He is also considered an avid sports fan, an asset to a major Big Ten university.
On a more serious level, he has revealed his personal struggles with mental health when he was young. After the suicide of a student at the University of Cincinnati, where Dr. Ono also served as president, he urged students struggling with a mental illness to seek counseling, discussing how he had tried to take an overdose of cold medicine. and beer when he was 14 years old. and again attempted suicide at the age of twenty.
In addition to his leadership roles in British Columbia and Cincinnati, Dr. Ono previously served as assistant rector at Emory University. Trained 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 run by an interim president, Mary Sue Coleman, who had been Dr. Schlissel’s predecessor at work until she took office in 2014.