Santa J. Ono
Photo: Twitter
UNIVERSITY of Cincinnati President Santa J. Ono appears to be the one chosen to be the next president of the University of British Columbia.
WLWT of Cincinnati reported on Sunday they got word that Ono will be leaving his position and added: “The University of British Columbia is announcing its new president on Monday, which is in Ono’s hometown of Vancouver.”
Born in Vancouver, Dr. Ono earned his PhD at McGill University and his BA at the University of Chicago.
[UBC will announce its 15th president and vice-chancellor on Monday, June 13. The announcement will be viewable live online at: http://ubc.ca/newpresident]
According to the UC website, Ono “is a highly accomplished researcher in eye disease and a member of several national and international honorific societies as well as a sought-after public speaker, frequent opinion leader on higher education issues, and a recognized trailblazer in the use of social media. Serving as UC’s president since August 2012, he has gained a reputation as a chief executive who is accessible and responsive to the university’s wide range of constituents, including students, faculty, staff, alumni, parents, business, civic, arts and government.”
It adds: “Under his leadership, UC has achieved its largest enrollment in history at 44,251, breaking enrollment records for three consecutive years. Dr. Ono also has launched Creating Our Third Century, a sharpening of the university’s vision as it prepares for its bicentennial in 2019. His tenure has also been marked by increasing accolades for UC, among them its selection as the Public University of the Year by the Washington Center.”
It says: “Since his appointment as the university’s 28th president, Dr. Ono has also brought greater diversity to the President’s Cabinet, appointed the university’s first full-time Chief Diversity Officer, increased investments in diversity and inclusion, and spearheaded a restructuring of the UC Foundation.
“Widely recognized as a leader in the use of social media among higher education executives, President Ono was named the 2014 Twitter Madness National Champion in a communications study based on the 64 universities and colleges competing in the 2014 NCAA basketball tournament.”
Ono is UC’s first Asian American president. In December 2013, he was named by the Japanese government as an honorary consul of Japan for the state of Ohio.
The website also notes; “As a scholar and researcher, Dr. Ono has served on the editorial boards of the Journal of Immunology, Journal of Biological Chemistry, Immunology and the Journal of Allergy & Clinical Immunology.
“Among his many honors and awards are the American Diabetes Association Career Development Award, the Investigator Award from the National Arthritis Foundation, the Brit Katz Award (Emory University), the Roche Laboratories Award for Excellence in Research, and the Pharmacia International Award in Allergy Research. He was elected a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 2012, inducted as a member of the National Academy of Inventors in 2014 and inducted into the Johns Hopkins University Society of Scholars in 2015.”