ANN ARBOR, Mich. — University of Michigan President-elect Kent Syverud is receiving treatment for brain cancer and will no longer serve as the university's president.
In a message to the university on Wednesday morning, Syverud said he wasn't feeling well last week and sought care at Crouse Hospital in Syracuse, and traveled to U-M for additional assessment.
Watch below: Coverage from January 2026 as Kent Syverud named U-M president
"I want to be straightforward with you: I have been diagnosed with a form of brain cancer," he wrote in the letter. "I am currently undergoing treatment at the University of Michigan. As I shared with the community back in January, I have a deep and personal affiliation with Michigan Medicine. I am where I need to be and I am in excellent hands. I am deeply grateful to the outstanding teams at University of Michigan Medicine and Crouse Hospital and for their extraordinary care."
Board of Regents President Mark Bernstein also said that Syverud will serve as a law professor at the University of Michigan Law School and a special advisor to the board.
In January, the school's board of regents announced that Syverud would serve as the university's 16th president.
Syverud, a University of Michigan alum, had been working as chancellor and president at the University of Syracuse since 2013. In August of last year, he announced his intention to step down from his roles at Syracuse, effective in June 2026. He also currently serves as the chair of the Atlantic Coast Conference Board of Directors.
“I believe Michigan has been, is now, and must remain the best public research university anywhere,” Syverud said in a press release announcing his appointment. “That has been my experience. This university gave me everything I have become...these are challenging times for Michigan, for higher education, and the world. We have a choice in how to respond. We can curl up in a ball … or, we can do what Michigan has always done 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, the ideas, and innovation, and the civil engagement that this world so badly needs. I want to help us do that, always remembering our special obligation to the people of the state of Michigan … who created this institution and who merit our priority.”
Domenico Grasso will continue to serve as the university president until the next president begins their service. The board of regents will re-engage a search process as soon as possible, they said.
