Spencer Stuart Recruits 16th President for the University of Michigan
January 23, 2026 – Spencer Stuart has recruited Kent Syverud, chancellor and president of Syracuse University, as the 16th president of the University of Michigan. He becomes the first U-M alumnus in nearly a century to be appointed president. Mary Gorman, a partner in the firm’s education and social impact practice, and Alexis Stiles, a University of Michigan alumna and a leader in the firm’s healthcare practice, led the firm’s search efforts. Past president Santa Ono announced in May that he was stepping down from his role to pursue the same position at the University of Florida. In 2022, the University of Michigan used Isaacson, Miller to recruit Mr. Ono as its president.
The Board of Regents voted unanimously to appoint Mr. Syverud, an accomplished legal scholar, during a special session Jan. 12 at University Hall in Ann Arbor. Syverud is expected to assume the position by July 1. “The University of Michigan proudly welcomes president-elect Syverud,” said Mark Bernstein, chair of the Board of Regents and co-chair of the presidential search committee. “President-elect Syverud is an experienced and trusted leader who has guided higher education institutions — and their students — to new levels of success. The Board of Regents is eager to bring his experience and passion back to U-M, where he is uniquely qualified to grow our impact across the state, nation and world.”
Regents vice chair Michael J. Behm, co-chair of the presidential search committee, said Syverud understands the current challenges facing universities and has created successful environments for innovation and learning. “During the search process, we learned that president-elect Syverud is a fearless listener,” he said. “He’s extremely talented at imagining and implementing goals for the future, and a gifted collaborator with students, faculty, and statewide stakeholders. These qualities will benefit all Wolverines in Ann Arbor, Dearborn and Flint.”
Comprehensive Search
Mr. Syverud’s appointment follows a comprehensive search that began in July 2025. A presidential search committee, composed of students, faculty, staff, alumni and regents, worked with Spencer Stuart to identify and review candidates.
The committee hosted seven public listening sessions in fall 2025 and collected input from nearly 600 community members about their hopes and expectations for a new president. An online survey collected additional thoughts from an additional 900 respondents.
Mr. Syverud returns to lead U-M following a robust legal and higher education career. He spent the last 12 years as chancellor and president at Syracuse, where his incumbency produced record enrollment, academic and research breakthroughs and a significant influence on the economic health of upstate New York. Prior to Syracuse University, Mr. Syverud was dean at the School of Law at Washington University in St. Louis and the Ethan A.H. Shepley Distinguished University Professor. Before Washington University, Syverud was dean at Vanderbilt University Law School.
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As president, Mr. Syverud is responsible for general oversight of the university’s teaching and research programs, as well as the libraries, museums and other supporting services. His duties also include overseeing the general welfare of the faculty and staff, health and order among students, and the university’s financial stability.
Colleges and Universities Rely on Search Firms to Find Leaders in Polarizing Times
Academic institutions continue to pump big fees into executive search firms nationwide. Many academic recruiting specialists say business, in fact, has never been better despite some sectors of executive search slowing over the past year. Even smaller recruiting outfits have multiple assignments running concurrently, all at the senior levels, and if there’s any slowdown coming it is to be found at the talent identification stage. With so much activity, it seems, talent demand is far outstripping the supply. The hunt for interim academic leadership is also picking up pace.
“I do believe Michigan has been, is now, and must remain the best public research university anywhere,” Syverud said. “That has been my experience of Michigan. This university gave me everything I have become. These are challenging times for Michigan, for higher education, and indeed for the whole world. We at the university have a choice how to respond. We can curl up in a ball … or, we can do what Michigan has always done when it’s at its best. We can lead. We can lead not by arrogantly lecturing others, but by modeling each day, in small ways and in big ones, the values and the ideas and the innovation and the civil engagement that this world so badly needs.”
What Others Around Campus are Saying
“President-elect Syverud is a leader who understands both the structural complexity and the human dimensions of universities,” said Celeste Watkins-Hayes, search committee member and dean of the U-M Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy. “An award-winning teacher and an effective champion of research excellence, he brings a student-centered perspective and a thoughtful, steady approach to stewarding complex academic institutions, with a clear commitment to ensuring that universities contribute meaningfully both locally and globally. With deep ties to the University of Michigan, he demonstrates a strong appreciation for the university’s history and strengths, alongside an engaged and forward-looking view of its evolving opportunities.”
“We were looking for a leader who shares our morals, listens to our voices, and champions the diverse perspectives that make U-M a world-class leader. We found that leader,” said Eric Veal Jr., search committee member and Central Student Government president. “President-elect Kent Syverud doesn’t just understand the Michigan Difference, he embodies it. Beyond his credentials, he is a dynamic leader who leads with empathy and a genuine heart for the people he serves. He is profoundly student-centered, and I have no doubt he will show a tireless dedication to fostering authentic relationships across every corner of our campus.”
“Kent Syverud leads with integrity, which I’ve experienced first-hand for the past 12 years,” said Mike Tirico, vice chair of Syracuse University’s board of trustees, NBC Sports commentator, and an Ann Arbor resident. “I know how much the University of Michigan means to him and Dr. Chen. His experience, skill set and passion for Michigan will be a great fit. While I will miss working with Kent at my alma mater, I am thrilled to welcome him as a neighbor.”
Related: Recruitment for Higher Education Leaders Heats Up and Shifts
The University of Michigan is a public research university in Ann Arbor. Founded in 1817 by an act of the old Michigan Territory, the university is Michigan’s oldest. UM consists of 19 colleges and offers degree programs at undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral levels in some 250 disciplines. The university’s enrollment is about 32,000 undergraduate students and 16,000 graduate students.
Privately held since 1956, Spencer Stuart focuses on delivering knowledge, insight, and results through the collaborative efforts of a team of search professionals — now spanning 56 offices, 30 countries, and more than 50 practice specialties. The firm helps boards and leaders address their leadership needs in areas such as senior-level executive search, board recruitment, board effectiveness, succession planning, in-depth senior management assessment and many other facets of organizational effectiveness.
Spencer Stuart’s education practice works with research universities, liberal arts colleges, graduate and professional schools, independent schools, research centers and institutes, and early and secondary education organizations. It has conducted more than 300 senior-level executive and board searches over the past five years. Ninety-six percent of the firm’s executive search placements in academia and research in the past five years are still in their roles today, said Spencer Stuart.
Serving Colleges and Universities
The practice has placed leaders across all functions with a particular focus on presidents, provosts, deans, chief financial officers, chief information officers and vice presidents. Presidential searches conducted by Spencer Stuart include those at Brown, Colgate, Cornell, Northwestern, Wesleyan and Yale universities.
Ms. Gorman, who works in Spencer Stuart’s Boston office, is a member of the education, non-profit and government practice. Her work encompasses liberal arts colleges, research universities, independent schools and large, mission-driven non-profit organizations, as well as functional roles such as chief financial officers and chief operating officers.
With over 30 years in healthcare as an executive and leadership consultant, Ms. Stiles advises and recruits CEOs, board directors and senior-level executives across the healthcare industry, with a focus on healthcare services. She leads Spencer Stuart’s global healthcare practice and is a member of the board and CEO practice. In 2024, Ms. Stiles was elected to serve on the board of directors. She previously served on the firm’s nominations committee for almost 10 years, including as chair in 2023.
Related: Why Universities Have Stepped Up Efforts to Involve Search Firms
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief and Dale M. Zupsansky, Executive Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
