President of the University of Michigan
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The president of the University of Michigan is a constitutional officer of the state of Michigan who serves as the principal executive officer of the University of Michigan. The president is chosen by the Board of Regents of the University of Michigan, as provided for in the Constitution of the State of Michigan. Sixteen people—fifteen men and one woman—have held the office, in addition to several others who have held it in either an historical, acting or interim capacity.
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| President of the University of Michigan | |
|---|---|
| Residence | President's House |
| Appointer | |
Constituting instrument | Constitution of Michigan |
| Formation | 1850 |
| First holder | Rev. John Monteith (historical)[1] Henry Philip Tappan (1852) |
| Salary | $1,014,000[2] |
| Website | president |
The University of Michigan's current president is Domenico Grasso, former chancellor of the Dearborn campus. Grasso was appointed by the Board of Regents on May 8, 2025 as interim president, and he was named the 16th president in May 2026 after Kent Syverud, who had been elected to become the next president of the University of Michigan, announced that he had been diagnosed with brain cancer and would not take up the role.[3][4][5]
History
The office was created by the Michigan Constitution of 1850, which also specified that the president was to be appointed by the Regents of the University of Michigan and preside at their meetings, but without a vote.[6] The precise wording has evolved through subsequent state constitutions, and as of November 2018 the office is defined by Article VIII, section 5 of the Constitution of 1963:[7]
The regents of the University of Michigan and their successors in office shall constitute a body corporate known as the Regents of the University of Michigan; ... Each board shall, as often as necessary, elect a president of the institution under its supervision. He shall be the principal executive officer of the institution, be ex-officio a member of the board without the right to vote and preside at meetings of the board. ...
Between the establishment of the University of Michigan in 1837 and 1850, the Board of Regents ran the university directly; by law, they were supposed to appoint a chancellor to administer the university, but they never did, and a rotating roster of professors carried out day-to-day administrative duties instead.[8]
While the modern office was created in 1850, the University of Michigan itself traces its date of founding to 1817, when its precursor, the University of Michigania, was founded. The only president of the institution, Reverend John Monteith, appears in the list of presidents but is not officially considered to have been a president of the contemporary university.[9]
List of presidents
The current president is Domenico Grasso, former chancellor of the University of Michigan-Dearborn.
Of the previous presidents of the university:[10]
- 1 had the office abolished
- 1 died in office
- 2 were removed by the regents
- 5 retired at the end of their careers
- 2 resigned to return to teaching or research
- 4 resigned to take posts at other institutions (Northwestern University, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, Princeton University, Columbia University, and the University of Florida)
The following persons have served as president of the University of Michigan:[11][12]
| No. | Portrait | Name | Term start | Term end | Refs. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| President of the University of Michigania (1817–1821) | |||||
| – |  |
Rev. John Monteith[a] | 1817 | 1821 | |
| Board of Trustees of the University of Michigania (1821–1837)[b] | |||||
| Board of Regents of the University of Michigan (1837–1852)[c] | |||||
| Presidents of the University of Michigan (1852–present) | |||||
| 1 |  |
Henry Philip Tappan[d] | September 1852 | June 25, 1863[e] | [13][14][15][16] |
| 2 |  |
Erastus Otis Haven | June 25, 1863 | August 18, 1869[f] | [15][17][18][19] |
| acting |  |
Henry S. Frieze | August 18, 1869 | July 31, 1871 | [20] |
| 3 |  |
James Burrill Angell | August 1, 1871 | September 30, 1909[g] | [21] |
| acting | |
Henry S. Frieze | 1880[h] | 1882 | |
| 1887[i] | 1888 | ||||
| acting |  |
Harry Burns Hutchins[j] | 1897[k] | 1898 | |
| interim | October 1, 1909[l] | June 28, 1910 | [22] | ||
| 4 | June 28, 1910 | June 30, 1920 | [23][24] | ||
| 5 |  |
Marion LeRoy Burton | July 1, 1920 | February 18, 1925[m] | [25][26] |
| acting |  |
Alfred Henry Lloyd | February 27, 1925 | September 30, 1925 | [27] |
| 6 |  |
Clarence Cook Little | October 1, 1925 | June 1929[n] | [28][29] |
| 7 |  |
Alexander Grant Ruthven | October 5, 1929 | August 31, 1951 | [30][31][32] |
| 8 |  |
Harlan Hatcher | September 1, 1951 | December 31, 1967 | [33][34] |
| 9 | Robben Wright Fleming | January 1, 1968 | December 31, 1978[o] | [35][36] | |
| interim | .jpg) |
Allan Frederick Smith | January 1, 1979 | December 31, 1979 | [37] |
| 10 |  |
Harold Tafler Shapiro | January 1, 1980 | December 31, 1988[p] | [37][38] |
| interim | Robben Wright Fleming | January 4, 1988 | August 31, 1988 | [39] | |
| 11 |  |
James Johnson Duderstadt | September 1, 1988 | June 30, 1996[q] | [40][41] |
| interim |  |
Homer A. Neal | July 1, 1996 | January 31, 1997 | [42] |
| 12 |  |
Lee Bollinger | February 1, 1997 | December 31, 2001[r] | [43][44][45] |
| interim |  |
B. Joseph White | January 1, 2002 | July 31, 2002 | [46] |
| 13 |  |
Mary Sue Coleman[s] | August 1, 2002 | June 30, 2014 | [47][48] |
| 14 | .jpg) |
Mark Schlissel | July 1, 2014 | January 15, 2022[t] | [49][50] |
| interim | |
Mary Sue Coleman | January 15, 2022 | October 13, 2022 | [50] |
| 15 | _(cropped).jpg) |
Santa Ono | October 14, 2022 | May 6, 2025[u] | [51][52] |
| 16 | |
Domenico Grasso | May 8, 2025[v] | incumbent | [54] |
| elected |  |
Kent Syverud | did not serve[w] | – | [56] |
| 17 | C. Cybele Raver | December 1, 2026 | – | [57] | |
Notes
- First and only president of the University of Michigania. No collegiate student was enrolled during his presidency.
- Operating under laws established by the Michigan Territorial governor and judges in 1821, a board of trustees consisting of 20 citizen-members plus the governor was formed to guide the University of Michigania. Still, no collegiate students were enrolled.
- Under laws establish by the new Michigan state constitution of 1835, a Board of Regents was convened to established the new University of Michigan. First students were enrolled at Ann Arbor in 1841.
- First president of the University of Michigan.
- Removed by regents.
- Resigned to head Northwestern University.
- Retired after 38 years in office (longest-serving president)
- While President Angell served as United States Minister to China
- While President Angell served on the commission negotiating the Bayard-Chamberlain Treaty
- Was the first student to receive a degree from James B. Angell at Michigan.
- While President Angell served as United States Minister to Turkey
- Following President Angell's retirement.
- Died in office
- Resigned to conduct research at Bar Harbor, Maine.
- Resigned to head the Corporation for Public Broadcasting
- Resigned to head Princeton University.
- Returned to the classroom.
- Resigned to head Columbia University in the City of New York.
- First female president
- Removed by regents for an alleged sexual affair with a subordinate.
- Resigned on May 4 to head the University of Florida. Resignation from Michigan accepted on May 6. Rejected by the Florida Board of Governors for his appointment as UF president one month later, on June 3.
- Appointed on May 8, 2025, on an interim basis following Santa Ono's resignation.
His interim appointment was amended by the Regents on April 14, 2026, to a full appointment as the university's 16th president, retroactive to May 8, 2025, after president-elect Kent Syverud stepped down before taking office.[53] - Syverud was elected on January 12, 2026, to take office on July 1, 2026, but did not assume the role due to a brain cancer diagnosis in April 2026.[55]