President Santa J. Ono Attracting National Attention

The New Year of 2015 rang in with some major national attention for University of Cincinnati President Santa J. Ono.

• A new book about U.S. and Canadian higher education leaders who use social media points to President Ono as “an institutional champion” and “a rock star” among college and university leaders on social media.  The book, “#FollowtheLeader: Lessons in Social Media Success From #HigherEd CEOs,” is written by Daniel A. Zaiontz and published by mStoner, a consulting company.
  
  

Zaiontz works as a special projects coordinator in strategic planning and public affairs at Seneca College of Applied Arts & Technology, Toronto, and he completed the book as a part of his master’s studies in communication management.According to Zaiontz’s book, President Ono “is quite simply one of the best higher ed leaders on social media when it comes to engaging with his students.”  The author also notes:

“To other higher ed leaders, he can be counted on to share his thoughts and positions on policy issues or trends in postsecondary education; to faculty and staff, he celebrates their achievements through recognition and acknowledgement on social media; to students and alumni, he spreads school spirit and addresses their questions and concerns; and through his efforts with these different stakeholder groups, he is able to build stronger linkages and connections that strengthen his own and his institution’s reputations and sense of community. Ono has made his social media accounts serve as hubs for the UC community to not only follow his activities and updates but also, through his connections, to learn about and experience all angles of the UC world. He is, in a sense, the tie that binds all those facets together.”

The Chronicle of Higher Education

published an article

about the book on Jan. 7.

• President Ono also was selected for the 2015 “In” List among higher education presidents in a report published by Inside Higher Education. That designation is based on Inside Higher Education’s views about what is “out” for 2014 and “in” for 2015, and where trends are heading. They listed another UC President – University of California system president Janet Napolitano – as “out” on the 2014 list.