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.
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.
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., Article 13, section 8 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:, Article VIII, section 5
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.
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.
List of presidents The current president is Domenico Grasso, former chancellor of the University of Michigan-Dearborn.
Of the previous presidents of the university: 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: + Presidents of the University of MichiganPortraitNameTerm startTerm endPresident of the University of Michigania (1817–1821) – Rev. John Monteith 1817 1821Board of Trustees of the University of Michigania (1821–1837)Board of Regents of the University of Michigan (1837–1852)Presidents of the University of Michigan (1852–present) 1 Henry Philip Tappan September 1852 June 25, 1863 2 Erastus Otis Haven June 25, 1863 August 18, 1869 acting Henry S. Frieze August 18, 1869 July 31, 1871 3 James Burrill Angell August 1, 1871 September 30, 1909 acting Henry S. Frieze 1880 1882 1887 1888 acting Harry Burns Hutchins 1897 1898 interim October 1, 1909 June 28, 1910 4 June 28, 1910 June 30, 1920 5 Marion LeRoy Burton July 1, 1920 February 18, 1925 acting Alfred Henry Lloyd February 27, 1925 September 30, 1925 6 Clarence Cook Little October 1, 1925 June 1929 7 Alexander Grant Ruthven October 5, 1929 August 31, 1951 8 Harlan Hatcher September 1, 1951 December 31, 1967 9 Robben Wright Fleming January 1, 1968 December 31, 1978 interim Allan Frederick Smith January 1, 1979 December 31, 1979 10 Harold Tafler Shapiro January 1, 1980 December 31, 1988 interim Robben Wright Fleming January 4, 1988 August 31, 1988 11 James Johnson Duderstadt September 1, 1988 June 30, 1996 interim Homer A. Neal July 1, 1996 January 31, 1997 12 Lee Bollinger February 1, 1997 December 31, 2001 interim B. Joseph White January 1, 2002 July 31, 2002 13 Mary Sue Coleman August 1, 2002 June 30, 2014 14 Mark Schlissel July 1, 2014 January 15, 2022 interim Mary Sue Coleman January 15, 2022 October 13, 2022 15 Santa Ono October 14, 2022 May 6, 2025 16 Domenico Grasso May 8, 2025 incumbentelectedKent Syveruddid not serve–17C. Cybele RaverDecember 1, 2026–
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