Florida state university leaders voted to reject Santo Ono as president of the University of Florida, following Republican backlash over the former University of Michigan president’s previous support for diversity programs.

ORLANDO — Florida’s highest university board voted Tuesday to block the University of Florida from selecting Santa Ono as its next president. It is the first time in the Board of Governors’ 20-year history that members have overturned a university’s presidential selection.

Former University of Michigan President Santa Ono is a man without a job, after being rejected by the University of Florida. U-M is a prestigious university without a president, though former U-M Dearborn Chancellor Domenico Grasso is holding the job on an interim basis with no plans to pursue it himself.