For the last several years, the University of Michigan has been searching for stability. Leadership changes came rather quickly, and the air of uncertainty lingered; the campus never felt the same. From Mark Schlissel’s abrupt exit to Santa Ono’s brief three-year tenure, Ann Arbor has been waiting for a steady presence. And the wait is about to end.

On January 12, Michigan is expected to officially name Kent Syverud as its 16th university president. A “Double Wolverine” and experienced administrator, the appointment feels like a return home more then anything else.

As John Bacon noted on X, “It’s done: Michigan will name Syracuse Chancellor Kent Syverud its 16 president tomorrow. He earned a J.D. and a master’s in economics from UM in the early 1980s.
Strikes me as a very good hire – UM’s second in 2026.”

Syverud is a seasoned university leader, a Michigan alumnus, a law scholar, and, perhaps most crucially for Maize and Blue fans, someone who understands the role athletics plays in a top-tier university.

From Michigan law to Syracuse leadership

Syverud has a strong connection with Michigan. In the early 1980s, he graduated with honors, including the Henry M. Bates Memorial Scholarship and election to the Order of the Coif, from UM with a J.D. and a master’s degree in economics. After law school, he clerked for U.S. District Judge Louis Oberdorfer and then for U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, one of his closest mentors.

From 1987 to 1997, Syverud taught law at both Vanderbilt and Michigan, earning tenure at UM in 1992 and later serving as Associate Dean for Academic Affairs. He then went on to serve as dean at Vanderbilt Law School and Washington University School of Law, leading expansions, increasing faculty ranks, and steering major facility upgrades.

Syverud was appointed Chancellor and President of Syracuse University in 2014. Back then, he started by living in a student dorm, wanting to understand campus life from the inside. Syracuse thrived under his leadership. He erased $440 million in inherited debt, doubled the endowment to over $2 billion, and spearheaded a $1.5 billion fundraising campaign.

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“I don’t think people fully appreciate the challenges that were presented to him almost from the day he started as chancellor,” Vice Chancellor Mike Haynie said. “There were significant financial pressures, significant challenges related to our brand and being truly competitive to attract students and talent. I think what Kent has been able to do masterfully is to see the big picture.”

But Syverud’s influence extended beyond money. He saw that American college life revolves around athletics. The football program benefited from an atmosphere that promoted greatness both on and off the field, and then the Carrier Dome underwent a $120 million makeover, and new residence halls and campus facilities were built. Syracuse athletics, particularly football, saw an upsurge of energy and investment that transformed the program.

What sets Syverud apart is his dual appreciation for rigorous academics and competitive athletics. Syverud saw athletics as integral to the university experience. He promoted STEM programs, directed focused multidisciplinary research institutes at Syracuse, and even assisted in bringing Micron Technology’s $100 billion chip fabrication project to Central New York. By the time he announced his departure in 2026, Syracuse was stronger and much more stable than when he arrived.

The Michigan chapter

Syverud will become the fifth president to lead Michigan this decade, which reminds us of the turbulence in the university’s leadership in recent years. Former President Mark Schlissel served for seven and a half years, from July 2014 to January 2022, before being fired for engaging in an inappropriate relationship with a university employee.

Mary Sue Coleman then returned in an interim role for nine months, steadying the institution until Santa Ono took over in October 2022. Ono’s tenure lasted a little more than two and a half years before he stepped down in May 2025, following a failed attempt to become president at the University of Florida.

That departure led to Domenico Grasso stepping in as interim president back in May 2025. Grasso will continue to lead the university until Syverud officially assumes the presidency in June 2026.

Syverud had announced last year that he would leave Syracuse at the end of the 2025–26 academic year, making the timing a perfect fit for his next move at Michigan.

“He’ll be terrific,” UM Regent Michael Behm said of Syverud. “He’s just who we’re looking for to lead the university.”

“He takes meetings with anyone and everyone, which is something I think that we sorely miss from a leader at UM. He has a track record of imagining goals and making them reality.”

With Syverud, Michigan is betting that his experience and understanding of both academics and athletics can finally bring stability to an office that has seen far too much change in a short span of time.