Chancellor Kent Syverud diagnosed with brain cancer

Syracuse University Chancellor and President Kent Syverud announced Wednesday morning that he has been diagnosed with brain cancer in a campus-wide email.

Chancellor-elect Mike Haynie will “assume all leadership responsibilities of Syracuse University effective immediately,” Syverud wrote.

Syverud’s tenure as Syracuse University chancellor was set to end on May 11 following the 2026 Commencement. He will no longer serve as the 16th President of the University of Michigan, he wrote to the University of Michigan community.

Syverud wrote in his email that he sought care at Crouse Hospital last week after not feeling well, then traveled to the University of Michigan for “additional assessment.”

In his message, Syverud credited the power of research universities, such as Syracuse and Michigan, to not just “educate” and “discover” but also “care for people when they need it most.”

Syverud’s diagnosis ends his 12-year tenure leading Syracuse University.

“Syracuse University is in extraordinary hands, and I look forward to staying connected with this community that means so much to me,” Syverud wrote.

Dominic Grasso, the current president of UM, will continue his tenure until the next president begins their service, the University of Michigan Board of Regents said in a statement. Syverud will serve as a law professor at Michigan and special advisor to the board.