UF trustee calls state’s rejection of Ono ‘deeply disappointing’

The University of Florida’s top trustee Mori Hosseini called the state’s rejection of president-elect Santa Ono “deeply disappointing” at board meeting Thursday.

It’s the first public comment from the school since Ono, selected unanimously by the school’s board of trustees, was blocked by the Florida Board of Governors , which oversees the state university system.

“Our board of trustees stands by the integrity of the search, the strength of the candidates it produced and the principals that guided our work,” Hosseini said.

“We believe Dr. Ono was uniquely qualitied to lead this university at this moment,” he said.

Hosseini said attracting Ono away from the University of Michigan — where he previously served as president — demonstrates that the “Florida model” of higher education is “