Chancellor Kent Syverud confirms University of Michigan president selection
Chancellor Kent Syverud confirmed Monday he will be the next University of Michigan president, following an MLive report Sunday. Syverud also said he’d finish the school year at Syracuse University, per his fall departure announcement. Leonardo Eriman | Senior Staff Photographer
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UPDATE: This story was updated on Jan. 12 at 6:17 p.m.
Chancellor Kent Syverud confirmed Monday he will become the next University of Michigan president, following a Sunday report from MLive.com.
In August 2025, Syverud announced he’d be stepping down from Syracuse University at the end of the school year. The move marks a return to Ann Arbor for Syverud, who earned his master’s and law degrees from UMich and was previously on the faculty of its law school.
“For someone who has spent their life in service to higher education, this call to return to the university that first inspired my path is profoundly meaningful,” Syverud said in a Monday email to the SU community.
At SU, Syverud took over for former chancellor Nancy Cantor in 2013. Last semester, SU commissioned a search committee to select Syverud’s replacement. The committee confirmed last month it narrowed down its candidate pool and conducted some interviews.
During his 12-year tenure at SU, Syverud navigated events such as the #NotAgainSU student protests in reaction to racist incidents on campus, the COVID-19 pandemic and a portfolio review with subsequent admissions pauses.
In a separate Monday campus-wide email, Board of Trustees Chair Jeff Scruggs congratulated Syverud. He added the search committee continues to “make excellent progress” in selecting SU’s new leader. Syverud’s commitment until June ensures the ongoing search “maintains (their) momentum,” he wrote.
“Chancellor Syverud’s appointment to Michigan is a testament to Syracuse’s strength and the caliber of leadership our university cultivates,” Scruggs wrote.
Syverud will replace UMich interim President Domenico Grasso, who has led the university since the departure of former President Santa J. Ono in 2024. The UMich Board of Regents selected Syverud in a unanimous vote Monday. He is expected to assume the role by July 1.
Syverud reaffirmed he would lead Syracuse through the transition, writing his “commitment to Syracuse University remains unwavering” as he serves through the end of the academic year.
