He goes by “PrezOno” on Twitter and uses the tag “hottestcollegeinamerica.” It’s a claim that’s still more cheerleading than reality, but was boosted this month when U.S. News & World Report listed UC tied for third among “up and comers,” while ranked 135th overall.
“It’s a very rapid, efficient way to communicate with a lot of people simultaneously: students, parents, alumni who are all over the globe,” Ono said of the 140-character Twitter messages. He has nearly 22,000 followers of his tweets, which come between meetings, while waiting at airports, after he and his wife have put their two daughters to bed at night, or soon after he arises at 4:30 a.m.
“He’s smart to take advantage of the opportunity to see the university from students’ eyes; over the long haul, it will build his personal connections,” said Molly Corbett Broad, president of the Washington-based American Council on Education.
She said higher education officials are increasingly using social media, but noted that Ono, 50, is younger than the typical college president, “from a newer generation” comfortable with digital communication.
Ono said his tweeting and high-visibility appearances at football games aside, he spends most of his long hours on priorities such as continuing to build the school’s record enrollment, nurturing newly expanded ties with China, coping with budget issues, and working to attract money for academic and capital projects.
Ono declined to move into the presidential home, which has been put up for sale, and refused a bonus and raise to his base annual salary of $525,000. He drives himself whenever he can in his red Audi he calls “the Catmobile,” saying he wants to set an example in the effort to control higher education costs.
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