University of Michigan President-elect Kent Syverud addresses the audience at a special meeting of the U-M Board of Regents.
(Ed. Note: This story was originally published by Bridge Michigan, a nonprofit and nonpartisan news organization. Visit the newsroom online: bridgemi.com.)
By Kim Kozlowski
Bridge Michigan
ANN ARBOR — Kent Syverud, the man chosen Jan. 12 as the next leader of the University of Michigan, knows the job won’t be easy. For one thing, he said, U-M and other universities are in a fight to retain the United States’ place as a world leader in higher education.
“These are challenging times for Michigan, for higher education and the whole world,” Syverud, currently chancellor and president of Syracuse University, said after the Board of Regents, in a special meeting, unanimously approved his hiring. “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.”
His voice sometimes filled with emotion, Syverud further acknowledged the challenges ahead in a video introduction on YouTube. “When I start in July I will need your help,” Syverud said. “The university has had a rough patch recently. I will have a lot of listening and a lot of learning to do.”
Syverud will become U-M’s third president in five years and the first U-M alumnus to serve as president in nearly a century.
Syverud will begin his post at the state’s largest university July 1, becoming U-M’s 16th president. He has a five-year contract and a base salary of $2 million, with the potential to earn an annual performance award of up to 30% of his salary.
He will replace U-M interim President Domenico Grasso, the former U-M Dearborn chancellor who has held the office since May, after former U-M President Santo Ono stepped down after less than three years.
Syverud, 69, faces numerous challenges, including federal funding cuts to nearly 200 grants; issues in the athletic department, student access and affordability and navigating the rise of artificial intelligence.
“For our university and our society, American higher education faces more challenges now than at any point since World War II,” said board chair Mark Bernstein. “Given our position in the nation and the state, it is imperative for us to have a leader who is prepared to meet these challenges.”
Syverud will provide stability and vision, and he also understands U-M, Bernstein added.
“He’s a deep, steady and broad thinker,” Bernstein said. “He has a track record of success.”
After the meeting, Syverud outlined to Bridge Michigan what he thinks is the “most important challenge of all.”
“The people of the United States understand and support higher education in times where doubts have been formed in many minds,” Syverud said. “We’ve become an incredibly successful country, in part because because of having the best higher education system in the world and I think that’s particularly been true in the state of Michigan, and I’m worried we may be losing that for a whole host of reasons and we have to do our part to turn that around.”
Among the issues that Syverud will face:
Federal funding cuts/mandates
U-M’s annual research report documented $2.16 billion in research spending across the campuses of Ann Arbor, Dearborn and Flint for fiscal year 2025. That amount included $1.2 billion in federal funds. But since President Donald Trump began his second term last year, federal funds have been slashed for 189 U-M grants, according to Arthur Lupia, U-M vice president for research and innovation.
Many of the grants, funded over many years, were in their last year of funding, and numerous ones were challenged and reinstated, Lupia added. But he wasn’t sure how many were reinstated as U-M continues to challenge the cuts. U-M officials did not respond to inquiries seeking clarity.
Meanwhile, billions of dollars have been cut to Medicaid and other federal programs, and mandates have been passed impacting U-M’s hospital, such as gender-affirming care for minors.
There was a debate after WWII whether to maintain federal government funding to large research universities and that has impacted everything from the economy to national defense, said Regent Paul Brown. But the relationship between the federal government and universities is changing without a national debate, Brown added.
As a lawyer, Syverud “understands the issue and when we can push back on that and refuse the mandates, so to speak,” said Brown. “He’s a humble negotiator, so hopefully we can become a part of that national conversation with elected officials and the public: Is this where we really want to go? It’s the first existential question that academia have faced in 50 years.”
—————
Athletic department
U-M has one of the largest athletic departments in the nation and has grappled with two high-profile scandals in two years. The university in December hired Jenner & Block, an outside law firm, to investigate what happened leading up to the firing last month of head football coach Sherrone Moore for having an inappropriate relationship with a staff member. The report is forthcoming. The NCAA investigated an illegal scouting and sign-stealing scandal with the U-M football program which led in 2025 to fines that included the loss of post-season revenue for two seasons and other penalties.
—————
U-M’s two satellite campuses
U-M Flint has been engaged in a strategic planning process in 2022 after former U-M President Mary Sue Coleman called attention to low graduation rates and enrollment declines, which have turned around in recent years. Syverud planned to visit U-M Flint on campus on Monday before heading back to Syracuse because, he said, many have long viewed U-M’s Flint and Dearborn campuses as “extra campuses.”
“My belief is that University of Michigan is a great university with three main campuses, not with one,” said Syverud. “And I want to understand Flint and Dearborn well, and I don’t want to perform on that. I want to make it true.”
—————
Student affordability and access
Tuition and fees for in-state, undergraduate students enrolled on U-M’s main campus in Ann Arbor total $18,346 for 2025-26, which is the second-highest cost among the state’s 15 public universities, according to a report by the Michigan Association of State Universities. Only Michigan Technological University’s tuition is higher, costing $19,982.
Cost control is needed, Brown said, because college costs increase when real wages don’t. Students receiving tuition support also need help with finances for books, housing and other costs, added Regent Michael Behm.
Additionally, there is a gap in K-12 students’ exposure to what you can do to access higher education, Brown said, so U-M, and other colleges “lose a huge part of really capable students … because of that knowledge gap and resources gap in their communities … We’ve got to figure out how to solve that.”
Syverud also said it was important to reflect the state’s diversity.
—————
Impact of artificial intelligence
AI is regarded as an issue transforming higher education for students and U-M, ushering in changes in research, discoveries, data processing and more.
—————
Syverud has deep roots at U-M
During the meeting, many welcomed Syverud back to U-M, where he arrived in 1978 via a Greyhound bus with one suitcase and was able to study on a scholarship.
He earned two graduate degrees: one in law and a master’s degree in economics. He also taught at U-M’s law school and met and married his wife on U-M’s campus, Dr. Ruth Chen, who was a doctoral student in the School of Public Health and toxicology and is now an environmental toxicologist and Syracuse University professor. The couple are the parents of three grown sons, Steven, Brian and David, and five grandchildren.
“The University of Michigan stands at a pivotal moment — one defined by remarkable momentum, global impact, and growing opportunity,” said Regent Sarah Hubbard. “President Syverud brings a deep understanding of higher education leadership, a strong commitment to students and faculty, and a clear appreciation for the responsibility that comes with stewarding one of the world’s great public universities. His experience and values position him well to lead Michigan into its next chapter.”
By Kim Kozlowski
Bridge Michigan
ANN ARBOR — Kent Syverud, the man chosen Jan. 12 as the next leader of the University of Michigan, knows the job won’t be easy. For one thing, he said, U-M and other universities are in a fight to retain the United States’ place as a world leader in higher education.
“These are challenging times for Michigan, for higher education and the whole world,” Syverud, currently chancellor and president of Syracuse University, said after the Board of Regents, in a special meeting, unanimously approved his hiring. “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.”
His voice sometimes filled with emotion, Syverud further acknowledged the challenges ahead in a video introduction on YouTube. “When I start in July I will need your help,” Syverud said. “The university has had a rough patch recently. I will have a lot of listening and a lot of learning to do.”
Syverud will become U-M’s third president in five years and the first U-M alumnus to serve as president in nearly a century.
Syverud will begin his post at the state’s largest university July 1, becoming U-M’s 16th president. He has a five-year contract and a base salary of $2 million, with the potential to earn an annual performance award of up to 30% of his salary.
He will replace U-M interim President Domenico Grasso, the former U-M Dearborn chancellor who has held the office since May, after former U-M President Santo Ono stepped down after less than three years.
Syverud, 69, faces numerous challenges, including federal funding cuts to nearly 200 grants; issues in the athletic department, student access and affordability and navigating the rise of artificial intelligence.
“For our university and our society, American higher education faces more challenges now than at any point since World War II,” said board chair Mark Bernstein. “Given our position in the nation and the state, it is imperative for us to have a leader who is prepared to meet these challenges.”
Syverud will provide stability and vision, and he also understands U-M, Bernstein added.
“He’s a deep, steady and broad thinker,” Bernstein said. “He has a track record of success.”
After the meeting, Syverud outlined to Bridge Michigan what he thinks is the “most important challenge of all.”
“The people of the United States understand and support higher education in times where doubts have been formed in many minds,” Syverud said. “We’ve become an incredibly successful country, in part because because of having the best higher education system in the world and I think that’s particularly been true in the state of Michigan, and I’m worried we may be losing that for a whole host of reasons and we have to do our part to turn that around.”
Among the issues that Syverud will face:
Federal funding cuts/mandates
U-M’s annual research report documented $2.16 billion in research spending across the campuses of Ann Arbor, Dearborn and Flint for fiscal year 2025. That amount included $1.2 billion in federal funds. But since President Donald Trump began his second term last year, federal funds have been slashed for 189 U-M grants, according to Arthur Lupia, U-M vice president for research and innovation.
Many of the grants, funded over many years, were in their last year of funding, and numerous ones were challenged and reinstated, Lupia added. But he wasn’t sure how many were reinstated as U-M continues to challenge the cuts. U-M officials did not respond to inquiries seeking clarity.
Meanwhile, billions of dollars have been cut to Medicaid and other federal programs, and mandates have been passed impacting U-M’s hospital, such as gender-affirming care for minors.
There was a debate after WWII whether to maintain federal government funding to large research universities and that has impacted everything from the economy to national defense, said Regent Paul Brown. But the relationship between the federal government and universities is changing without a national debate, Brown added.
As a lawyer, Syverud “understands the issue and when we can push back on that and refuse the mandates, so to speak,” said Brown. “He’s a humble negotiator, so hopefully we can become a part of that national conversation with elected officials and the public: Is this where we really want to go? It’s the first existential question that academia have faced in 50 years.”
—————
Athletic department
U-M has one of the largest athletic departments in the nation and has grappled with two high-profile scandals in two years. The university in December hired Jenner & Block, an outside law firm, to investigate what happened leading up to the firing last month of head football coach Sherrone Moore for having an inappropriate relationship with a staff member. The report is forthcoming. The NCAA investigated an illegal scouting and sign-stealing scandal with the U-M football program which led in 2025 to fines that included the loss of post-season revenue for two seasons and other penalties.
—————
U-M’s two satellite campuses
U-M Flint has been engaged in a strategic planning process in 2022 after former U-M President Mary Sue Coleman called attention to low graduation rates and enrollment declines, which have turned around in recent years. Syverud planned to visit U-M Flint on campus on Monday before heading back to Syracuse because, he said, many have long viewed U-M’s Flint and Dearborn campuses as “extra campuses.”
“My belief is that University of Michigan is a great university with three main campuses, not with one,” said Syverud. “And I want to understand Flint and Dearborn well, and I don’t want to perform on that. I want to make it true.”
—————
Student affordability and access
Tuition and fees for in-state, undergraduate students enrolled on U-M’s main campus in Ann Arbor total $18,346 for 2025-26, which is the second-highest cost among the state’s 15 public universities, according to a report by the Michigan Association of State Universities. Only Michigan Technological University’s tuition is higher, costing $19,982.
Cost control is needed, Brown said, because college costs increase when real wages don’t. Students receiving tuition support also need help with finances for books, housing and other costs, added Regent Michael Behm.
Additionally, there is a gap in K-12 students’ exposure to what you can do to access higher education, Brown said, so U-M, and other colleges “lose a huge part of really capable students … because of that knowledge gap and resources gap in their communities … We’ve got to figure out how to solve that.”
Syverud also said it was important to reflect the state’s diversity.
—————
Impact of artificial intelligence
AI is regarded as an issue transforming higher education for students and U-M, ushering in changes in research, discoveries, data processing and more.
—————
Syverud has deep roots at U-M
During the meeting, many welcomed Syverud back to U-M, where he arrived in 1978 via a Greyhound bus with one suitcase and was able to study on a scholarship.
He earned two graduate degrees: one in law and a master’s degree in economics. He also taught at U-M’s law school and met and married his wife on U-M’s campus, Dr. Ruth Chen, who was a doctoral student in the School of Public Health and toxicology and is now an environmental toxicologist and Syracuse University professor. The couple are the parents of three grown sons, Steven, Brian and David, and five grandchildren.
“The University of Michigan stands at a pivotal moment — one defined by remarkable momentum, global impact, and growing opportunity,” said Regent Sarah Hubbard. “President Syverud brings a deep understanding of higher education leadership, a strong commitment to students and faculty, and a clear appreciation for the responsibility that comes with stewarding one of the world’s great public universities. His experience and values position him well to lead Michigan into its next chapter.”
One of Four Michigan Homes Has Elevated Levels of Radon
January is Radon Action Month, a time to learn about the dangers of this cancer-causing radioactive gas. Nationally, about 7 percent of homes have elevated radon levels, compared to an estimated 25 percent of homes in Michigan.
Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas produced by the natural decay of uranium found in all soil types. Radon gas enters buildings from the soil and can accumulate to high concentrations indoors. You cannot see, smell, or taste radon, and there are no short-term side effects that could cause alarm or warn of its presence.
Long-term exposure to radon increases the risk of developing lung cancer, which accounts for more deaths in both men and women than any other form of cancer in the United States, according to the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE). The department aims to increase awareness of health risks associated with elevated indoor radon levels, promote home testing, and encourage citizens to take action to reduce exposure, if elevated radon levels are found.
Behind smoking, radon is the leading cause of lung cancer for nonsmokers and is considered a leading indoor environmental cause of cancer deaths in the United States. Current and former smokers have significantly higher radon-induced lung cancer risks.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that radon is responsible for about 21,000 lung cancer deaths in the United States each year.
Radon testing continues to be important as many Michiganders statewide remain unaware of the hidden dangers of exposure to radioactive radon gas. Testing is easy, inexpensive, and is the only way to determine if a radon problem exists.
Residents are encouraged to test for radon every two years, even if a radon mitigation system is currently installed in the home. This is to make sure that radon levels remain below the EPA action level of 4 picocuries per liter of air (4 pCi/L). In Michigan, approximately one in every four Michigan homes are projected to have radon levels exceeding 4 pCi/L. Elevated radon levels have been found in all 83 Michigan counties.
This year, residents have several ways to learn more about radon in Michigan:
• EGLE has produced a four-part podcast series moderated by legendary Detroit meteorologist Jerry Hodak. This series covers many common interest topics such as radon origins and health effects; radon testing best practices; test results and radon reduction methods; and retesting frequency and mitigation system maintenance. Check out the podcast series.
• EGLE also has an interactive map of Michigan Indoor Radon Test Results. Learn about radon testing in your neighborhood. No matter what your zip code shows, testing is the only way to know what radon levels are present.
• Radon test kits may be obtained from many of Michigan’s Local Health Departments. This January, take action and contact your local health department for a radon test kit.
For more information about radon testing and other information including resources for homeowners, builders, realtors, teachers, and healthcare providers, please visit Michigan.gov/ Radon, or call EGLE’s Indoor Radon hotline at 800-723-6642 (800-RADONGAS).
Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas produced by the natural decay of uranium found in all soil types. Radon gas enters buildings from the soil and can accumulate to high concentrations indoors. You cannot see, smell, or taste radon, and there are no short-term side effects that could cause alarm or warn of its presence.
Long-term exposure to radon increases the risk of developing lung cancer, which accounts for more deaths in both men and women than any other form of cancer in the United States, according to the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE). The department aims to increase awareness of health risks associated with elevated indoor radon levels, promote home testing, and encourage citizens to take action to reduce exposure, if elevated radon levels are found.
Behind smoking, radon is the leading cause of lung cancer for nonsmokers and is considered a leading indoor environmental cause of cancer deaths in the United States. Current and former smokers have significantly higher radon-induced lung cancer risks.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that radon is responsible for about 21,000 lung cancer deaths in the United States each year.
Radon testing continues to be important as many Michiganders statewide remain unaware of the hidden dangers of exposure to radioactive radon gas. Testing is easy, inexpensive, and is the only way to determine if a radon problem exists.
Residents are encouraged to test for radon every two years, even if a radon mitigation system is currently installed in the home. This is to make sure that radon levels remain below the EPA action level of 4 picocuries per liter of air (4 pCi/L). In Michigan, approximately one in every four Michigan homes are projected to have radon levels exceeding 4 pCi/L. Elevated radon levels have been found in all 83 Michigan counties.
This year, residents have several ways to learn more about radon in Michigan:
• EGLE has produced a four-part podcast series moderated by legendary Detroit meteorologist Jerry Hodak. This series covers many common interest topics such as radon origins and health effects; radon testing best practices; test results and radon reduction methods; and retesting frequency and mitigation system maintenance. Check out the podcast series.
• EGLE also has an interactive map of Michigan Indoor Radon Test Results. Learn about radon testing in your neighborhood. No matter what your zip code shows, testing is the only way to know what radon levels are present.
• Radon test kits may be obtained from many of Michigan’s Local Health Departments. This January, take action and contact your local health department for a radon test kit.
For more information about radon testing and other information including resources for homeowners, builders, realtors, teachers, and healthcare providers, please visit Michigan.gov/ Radon, or call EGLE’s Indoor Radon hotline at 800-723-6642 (800-RADONGAS).
Slagh to Hold Local Office Hours Friday
State Rep. Bradley Slagh, of Zeeland, will be available for local conversation during his morning office hours in Zeeland, Hudsonville and Jenison on Friday.
Rep. Slagh will be available at the following times and locations:
• 7 to 8 a.m. at Frank’s Restaurant, 134 E. Main Ave. in Zeeland
• 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. at the Jenison Biggby, 7589 Cottonwood Dr.
• 10 to 11 a.m. at Arrow’s Restaurant, 4225 32nd Ave. in Hudsonville
No appointments are necessary to attend office hours. Those interested in scheduling a time to speak with the representative outside of these scheduled office hours can call his office at (517) 373-0841 or email BradleySlagh@house.mi.gov.
Rep. Slagh will be available at the following times and locations:
• 7 to 8 a.m. at Frank’s Restaurant, 134 E. Main Ave. in Zeeland
• 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. at the Jenison Biggby, 7589 Cottonwood Dr.
• 10 to 11 a.m. at Arrow’s Restaurant, 4225 32nd Ave. in Hudsonville
No appointments are necessary to attend office hours. Those interested in scheduling a time to speak with the representative outside of these scheduled office hours can call his office at (517) 373-0841 or email BradleySlagh@house.mi.gov.
