Kent D. Syverud

Term of Office: January 2014 – April 2026
Inauguration Date: 11 April 2014

The University’s 12th Chancellor and President, Kent Syverud, was unanimously elected by the Board of Trustees in September 2013. With a background as a legal scholar, educator, and academic administrator, he worked to position the University for growth and recognition as a global research institution. He oversaw a period of physical tranformation of the University intended to sustain an inclusive and accessible campus and ensure facilities were available to support the goals of the new Academic Strategic Plan. Major projects included the National Veterans Resource Complex, the Barnes Center at the Arch (which replaced Archbold Gymnasium), and the purchase and start of construction of several new dormitories on the University’s north campus. Syverud was recognized for his commitment to student veterans and for enhancing the University’s relationship with the Haudenosaunee. His administration also experienced significant periods of student activism. These included movements such as THE General Body that coalesced in fall 2014 around demands for increased transparency in student services and adminstrative training regarding issues impacting racially marginalized groups, and #NotAgainSU during the 2019-2020 academic year in response to a series of racist graffiti and hate speech incidents on campus. In the spring of 2020, Syverud’s administration oversaw the University’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, including the early termination of study abroad programs during the spring semester and the transition to remote instruction. Syverud announced his intent to leave Syracuse University and his appointment as the next president of the University of Michigan during the 2025-26 academic year. In April 2026, he shared he had been diagnosed with brain cancer. He subsequently withdrew from the presidency at Michigan and left Syracuse early to receive treatment.