Santa Ono resigned his job at the University of Michigan last month when he was named the sole finalist for the top job at the University of Florida.

In a surprise twist, Florida’s top higher education board voted against a contract for Santa Ono, who was set to be the president of the University of Florida.

Longtime academic Santa Ono was rejected Tuesday for the University of Florida presidency by the state university system board amid sharp criticism from political conservatives about his past support for diversity,