Despite its football program still dealing with one of the biggest scandals in history, Michigan has hired its next school president. The Wolverines have officially tabbed former Syracuse chancellor Kent Syverud as their full-time hire to replace interim president Domenico Grasso.
Michigan officially hired Syverud as its president on Sunday, MLive.com reported. He becomes the school's 16th president, excluding seven previous interim hires.
Syverud travels to Ann Arbor after 12 years as the chancellor and president of Syracuse University. He recently announced that he would step down from his position at the end of the academic calendar, roughly five months before landing the vacant position at Michigan.
Syverud has ties to the Wolverines, graduating from the University of Michigan Law School in 1981, two years before earning a Master's Degree in Economics from the university. He briefly returned to the school as a faculty member in 1987, per MLive.com.
Syverud is also the former dean of Washington University School of Law and Vanderbilt Law School. In total, he brings 20 years of experience in similar positions to Michigan.
The hiring of Syverud marks the impending end of Grasso's tenure. The former engineer was promoted to interim president after Santa Ono stepped down following multiple controversies.
Michigan's Kent Syverud now in control of football program
Once he officially takes over, Syverud will then call the shots on Michigan's entire athletic department. The recent Sherrone Moore scandal has put athletic director Warde Manuel in a bad light, with many calling for his job.
Manuel recently signed a five-year extension in December 2024, keeping him contracted through the program through June 2030. The 57-year-old Wolverines alum has been in office since January 2016.
Although Manuel oversaw Michigan's 2023-2024 National Championship, fans have criticized him for his actions since. Fans blame him for the hiring of Moore, who went just 18-8 in his two years as head coach before everything fell apart.
The school previously confirmed that Manuel would stay on board for the hiring of Moore's replacement, which ended up being longtime Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham. His job security is back to being paper-thin ahead of a tumultuous offseason.
