Ono, the past president of the University of Michigan, needs approval by the governing body of the state university system before he becomes the 14th president of the University of Florida.
“The energy here at the University of Florida is palpable, and I am eager to join the wonderful students, faculty and staff of the Gator Nation,” Ono said in a statement.
The school’s board of trustees selects the president and the appointment is subject to confirmation by the Florida Board of Governors, per state law.
Ono is set to replace Kent Fuchs, who became the school’s interim president last summer after ex-U.S. Sen. Ben Sasse stepped down. Sasse left the U.S. Senate, where he had represented Nebraska, to become the university’s president in 2023.
The amount was about double the spending of his predecessor, Fuchs, who was brought back to head the university on a temporary basis.
