Weekly Briefing: When a very public president isn't so public anymore

After an eventful first year, Santa Ono has his work cut out for him at the University of Michigan. ADVERTISEMENT [Weekly Briefing Logo]( You can also [read this newsletter on the web](. Or, if you no longer want to receive this newsletter, [unsubscribe](. During his first year on the job, this president was everywhere. That changed. A year ago the University of Michigan hired Santa J. Ono (above) as president. His hiring drew a great fanfare. He was a celebrated academician, known for his people skills, who had been selected to lead the university after Mark S. Schlissel, the former president, was dismissed. Schlissel was fired by the university’s board for having an inappropriate relationship with an employee, but he was treading shaky ground long before that revelation. His handling of the pandemic had been chaotic. Board members had even held [closed-door meetings]( with Schlissel, asking him to be more open with the campus and with them. Schlissel was also president when the university faced two sexual-misconduct scandals, one centered on a football-team doctor accused of sexual abuse. One of the students he’d treated pitched a tent outside Schlissel’s university-owned house while requesting a meeting with the president, who refused. The university [reached a $490-million settlement]( with the survivors. Ono, by contrast, came to Michigan with the clear goal of rebuilding trust between the university and its leaders. He was spotted all over the Ann Arbor campus, at meetings, events, and ribbon-cutting ceremonies. Images from those interactions often appeared on his social-media accounts. But one big question loomed over Ono’s honeymoon period: the contract with the Graduate Employees’ Organization, a labor union that represents about 2,300 graduate-student instructors and assistants. Union leaders said they hoped the new president would take a new approach to bargaining, but the group soon found that Ono’s position wasn’t significantly different from his predecessor’s. Ono [told our David Jesse]( that he wasn’t directly involved in the negotiations, leaving them to the deans and the provost. By April, talks had broken down, prompting the union to strike. Administrators unsuccessfully sought an injunction to force union members back to work. At the end of April, the university docked strikers’ pay. On April 20, in an attempt to get the president’s attention, protesters banged on the windows of a restaurant where Ono was dining. When he tried to leave, protesters blocked his SUV, driven by a campus police officer. Two protesters were briefly detained. After that confrontation, Ono was seen less frequently, both on campus and on social media. He said that shift stemmed from his schedule — more travel to meet alumni, donors, and public officials — but it was also an intentional pullback. The strike was resolved in late August, right before the start of the fall semester. Ono is once again out and about on campus, and his social-media accounts [reflect that](. But his short-term withdrawal was a setback, especially when the university needs its president to do important rebuilding. Some faculty members also want to see his new plans in action, like his proposal for a new ethics, integrity, and compliance office — something recommended in response to the sexual-misconduct cases. Then there are the financial questions around Michigan Medicine, the institution’s large and growing health system, which faces slim margins as well as steep competition for its big piece of the university budget. Still, Ono said, he’s focused on earning and keeping the campus’s trust. Close observers said he has a good relationship with the board, which has rallied around him in a way it never did for Schlissel. Now the university, and others, are watching to see if Ono will be able to rebuild relationships across campus. [Read David’s full story here](. ADVERTISEMENT NEWSLETTER [Sign Up for the Teaching Newsletter]( Find insights to improve teaching and learning across your campus. Delivered on Thursdays. To read this newsletter as soon as it sends, [sign up]( to receive it in your email inbox. Lagniappe - Learn. Do you ever feel as if you have a million things to do — laundry, emails, health-insurance inquiries — and those mundane tasks stop you from doing what you actually want to do? In my case it’s embroidery, but for you it may be writing, making art, or calling your best friend. [This essay]( makes the case for doing what you want first and later making time for the mundane. (Everything Changes) - Read. In the novel Birnam Wood, by Eleanor Catton, a billionaire and a guerrilla collective collide in New Zealand. It’s a story about an environmentalist and the ultrarich that still manages [to pull off a gripping plot](. (NPR) - Read (about watching). For 23 years, A.O. Scott went to the movies for work. He was a film critic for The New York Times, and is now critic at large for its Book Review. He sums up what it was like to [return to the theater for pleasure]( and whether it’s worth it. (The New York Times) —Fernanda SUBSCRIBE TO THE CHRONICLE Enjoying the newsletter? [Subscribe today]( for unlimited access to essential news, analysis, and advice. Chronicle Top Reads THE REVIEW | OPINION [Now Is the Time for Administrators to Embrace Neutrality]( By Jeffrey Flier [STORY IMAGE]( The Israel-Hamas war might finally show colleges the virtues of the Kalven Report. SPONSOR CONTENT | Amazon Business [Powering Higher Ed with Smarter Procurement]( With Smart Business Buying, Amazon Business can help colleges and universities make going back to campus easier (and less expensive) STUDENT DEBT [How Much Should You Borrow for a College Education?]( By Francie Diep, with graphics by Brian O'Leary [STORY IMAGE]( Results from a national survey, commissioned by The Chronicle, offer a peek into how everyday Americans think about student debt. THE REVIEW | OPINION [What Do Colleges Owe the Cities That Host Them?]( By Davarian L. {NAME} [STORY IMAGE]( In Ithaca, Cornell University isn’t paying its fair share. ADVERTISEMENT FROM THE CHRONICLE STORE [College as a Public Good - The Chronicle Store]( [College as a Public Good]( Public confidence in higher education has fallen in recent years, with barely half of Americans seeing it in a positive light. [Order this report today]( to examine the many roles colleges play in their local communities and how institutions are reimagining their outreach to rebuild public trust. NEWSLETTER FEEDBACK [Please let us know what you thought of today's newsletter in this three-question survey](. This newsletter was sent to {EMAIL}. [Read this newsletter on the web](. [Manage]( your newsletter preferences, [stop receiving]( this email, or [view]( our privacy policy. © 2023 [The Chronicle of Higher Education]( 1255 23rd Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20037