What’s next in the search for a new U-M president?

Looking to top candidates or starting over are options that U-M can consider for next steps in finding a new leader
A university that recently faced a similar situation announced a new president one month later
Next U-M leader to face many challenges

For the second time in nine months, the University of Michigan finds itself looking for a new president, following Wednesday’s announcement that President-elect Kent Syverud can no longer serve due to health reasons.

The vacancy comes at a critical time for the university, which is facing challenges ranging from pressures to diversify campus amid a federal climate opposed to it to a multimillion-dollar investigation into the firing of the former head coach and the culture of the athletic department.

U-M’s options include giving top candidates from its last presidential search another look or launching a new search, an expert said Wednesday.

Some contracts with presidential search firms include clauses that it will conduct another search if a candidate serves for a short period of time, said Judith Wilde, a George Mason University research professor who studies university presidents. How long it might take for U-M to find its next president depends on how it decides to find another candidate.

“Michigan has gone through a lot of instability for various reasons,” said Wilde. “When that happens, the tendency is to want to get someone quickly so you can start having some stability hopefully.”

On Wednesday, U-M announced that Syverud would not serve as the school’s 16th president following a recent diagnosis and treatment for brain cancer.

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Syverud was expected to start on May 11 to lead the state’s largest and most selective university, which is facing numerous challenges on the horizon.

Instead, interim President Domenico Grasso will continue leading U-M until a new leader can be found. Syverud will serve as a law professor and special adviser to the board.

He would have been the fifth president serving U-M the past decade.

Head and shoulders shot of a man — Kent Syverud was expected to become president of the University of Michigan on May 11 but will not serve after being diagnosed with a form of brain cancer. (Photo courtesy of University of Michigan)

Regents Chair Mark Bernstein said the board will re-engage a search process soon and would announce details in upcoming days.

A similar situation happened in 2022 when the late Northwestern University president-elect Rebecca M. Blank announced she had an aggressive form of cancer and could not serve.

Northwestern moved quickly: A month after Blank’s announcement, the university announced that Michael Schill would serve as president.

U-M’s next leader will face numerous challenges including:

An investigation costing nearly $10 million with a forthcoming report on the firing of former head football coach Sherrone Moore and the overall climate in the university’s athletic department.
Pressure from faculty and student groups to resurrect some scholarships and programs that were abandoned when the university shut down its multimillion-dollar diversity, equity and inclusion initiative.
Opposition to a $1.2 supercomputing center focused on research of numerous topics including nuclear weapons, potentially based in Ypsilanti Township
Lingering campus tensions two years after the Israeli-Gaza conflict divided the university’s Arab and Jewish communities.
Compliance with federal orders from the President Donald Trump administration.
Student affordability and access.

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