University of Cincinnati president leaves for Canadian post

VANCOUVER, British Columbia – The president of the University of Cincinnati has been named to a similar post at the University of British Columbia.

Santa Ono, who was born in Vancouver, British Columbia, has served as president of the University of Cincinnati since 2012.

He said in a statement Monday that it was a difficult decision but noted his father had served on the UBC faculty in Vancouver when he was born 54 years ago.

The 53-year-old Ono holds a biology degree from the University of Chicago and a Ph.D. in experimental medicine from McGill University. He is the son of a Japanese-born professor who taught math at UBC in the 1960s.

Board chairman Stuart Belkin praised Ono's extraordinary life and accomplishments and said he was unanimously appointed to serve a five-year term as UBC president.