U-M expected to name Syracuse chancellor its next president

U-M Board of Regents expected to meet Monday to vote on its next president

If approved, Kent Syverud would be the third president at U-M in the past five years

Syverud is a U-M graduate with deep Michigan ties

University of Michigan is poised to hire Syracuse University Chancellor and President Kent Syverud as its next president, a source close to the search process confirmed Sunday.

The source spoke on background because they were not authorized to speak on the matter. Syverud’s selection was first reported by mLive. 

The U-M Board of Regents has scheduled a special meeting for 1 p.m.  Monday to vote on its third leader in five years. The president-elect is expected to be at the meeting, which will be livestreamed here.

The university is at a pivotal time facing a host of issues including federal funding cuts. U-M officials did not respond to emails asking for a comment on the presumed new leader.

Domenico Grasso has served as interim president of the University of Michigan since May. (Courtesy of the University of Michigan)

A national search for a new president has been underway since last year, after former U-M President Santa Ono announced in May that he was stepping down. Domenico Grasso, previously the chancellor of U-M-Dearborn, has been serving as interim president since.

Syverud has led Syracuse University in New York since January 2014, according to a biography of him on Syracuse University’s website. He joined Syracuse after serving as a dean at Washington University in St. Louis and dean at Vanderbilt Law School. 

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Syverud has two U-M degrees, including a master’s and law degrees. He served as expert witness in the U-M’s landmark affirmative action case before the US Supreme Court that in 2003 upheld the university’s admissions process challenged in Grutter v. Bollinger.

Syverud, who reportedly has deep Michigan ties, is expected to begin his post on July 1, the source said.

Details of his prospective U-M salary weren’t immediately known. But his predecessor, Ono, earned a base salary of $1.3 million.

Syverud’s salary at Syracuse was $1,189.621 in fiscal 2024, with additional compensation of $571,273, according to a tax form filed by the university.

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