Who is Kent Syverud, the former law school dean and Syracuse leader returning to Michigan University as president-elect
Kent Syverud has been named the 16th president of the University of Michigan, set to take office on July 1. The Regents of the university announced his appointment after a unanimous vote, marking his return to his alma mater nearly five decades after he first arrived on campus as a student. Syverud will succeed interim President Domenico Grasso, who stepped in following former President Santo Ono’s resignation.Syverud currently serves as chancellor and president of Syracuse University, a role he has held since January 2014. He announced in August 2025 that he would step down in June 2026, completing a 12-year tenure during which he stabilised the university’s finances and oversaw major campus development projects.Early life and educationBorn on October 23, 1956, Syverud graduated from Irondequoit High School in Rochester, New York, in June 1974. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Foreign Service from Georgetown University in 1977. He then returned to the University of Michigan, where he earned a Juris Doctor in 1981 and a Master of Arts in economics in 1983. During his time at U-M, he was a member of the Order of the Coif, an academic honour society for law graduates.Syverud clerked for United States District Judge Louis F. Oberdorfer in Washington, DC, after law school, and also worked with retired Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, gaining early experience in the nation’s legal system.Academic career and leadership rolesSyverud began teaching law at Vanderbilt University from 1987 to 1997, focusing on complex litigation, insurance law and civil procedure. He served as dean of Vanderbilt University Law School from 1997 to 2005, overseeing a US$24 million facility expansion and increasing faculty from 33 to 47. He then became dean of Washington University in St. Louis Law School from 2005 to 2013, where he also held the title of Ethan A. H. Shepley Distinguished University Professor.At Syracuse University, Syverud led a US$1.5 billion fundraising campaign, doubled the endowment to over US$2 billion, and managed the $120 million renovation of the Carrier Dome. He also expanded housing and academic facilities and played a role in bringing Micron Technology’s $100 billion semiconductor project to the region, as quoted by the Bridge Michigan.Return to University of MichiganSyverud first joined U-M as a student in 1978 with a scholarship and later taught at the Law School, where he served as associate dean for academic affairs from 1995 to 1997. In conversation with the Bridge Michigan, Syverud said, “When I start in July I will need your help,” reflecting on the transition back to Michigan. He will have a five-year contract with a base salary of US$2 million and potential annual performance bonuses of up to 30% of his salary.Syverud’s appointment marks the first time in nearly a century that a U-M alumnus will lead the university as president, bringing decades of experience in legal education and higher education administration to the role.
