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University of Michigan names interim president

The University of Michigan Board of Regents has named Domenico Grasso as the university’s interim president, effective immediately.

“President Grasso is widely admired for his visionary work leading University of Michigan-Dearborn, where he has held the role of chancellor since 2018,” the Board of Regents wrote. “We have full confidence that President Grasso will provide steady leadership during this critical time of transition.”

They will affirm the appointment during their next board meeting May 15, which is scheduled to take place in Dearborn.

The regents cited several significant successes at the Dearborn campus as examples of Grasso’s effective leadership, including the transition to a need-based financial aid model, the increase of its four-year graduation rate by 16% and the tripling of external research funding that allowed the campus to achieve R2 status.

“Being asked to serve as the interim president of the University of Michigan is a profound honor,” said Grasso who, in addition to his chancellorship and his position as an executive officer of the Ann Arbor campus, is a professor of public policy and sustainable engineering at UM-Dearborn. “I offer my gratitude to the board and my promise to the community to meet this opportunity with energy, integrity and dedication to our shared mission.”

Grasso will lead the university during the search for the next president. He has expressed his desire to serve in the interim role only and says he will not apply for the permanent presidency.

Grasso earned his Ph.D. in environmental engineering from Michigan in 1987.

Former president Santa J. Ono announced last week he had been named the sole finalist for the presidency of the University of Florida.

Ono says he expects to assume his new role later this summer.

He succeeded former U-of-M President Mark Schlissel in October 2022.

The post University of Michigan names interim president appeared first on WDET 101.9 FM.

Detroit Evening Report: Ono steps down as U-M president after accepting same role at University of Florida

University of Michigan President Santa Ono says he’s leaving Ann Arbor to take the same job at the University of Florida this summer.

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Ono announced the move in an email to the U-M community Sunday night. He said it’s been an honor to lead the school, which hired him away from the University of Cincinnati in 2022. 

Ono faces a lawsuit from eight former U-M workers accusing the school of firing them over their support for Palestinians.

The Detroit News reports the plaintiffs are also suing the Board of Regents and other administrators, alleging the university violated their First Amendment right to protest.

Three of the former employees took part in a sit-in at the president’s office. The other five demonstrated outside the U-M art museum. A spokesperson had no comment on the case. 

–Reporting by Pat Batcheller, WDET News

More headlines for Monday, May 5, 2025:

  • The Michigan Global Talent Initiative wants 60% of the state’s workforce to get a post-secondary education or professional certificate by 2030.
  • The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) is joining efforts to raise awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons (MMIP) Awareness Day on May 5.
  • The Division of Victim Services provides grant funding to federally recognized tribes for domestic violence through the StrongHearts Native Helpline, an anonymous confidential hotline for Native Americans and Alaska Natives. To contact the helpline, call 1-844-7Native or visit strongheartshelpline.org to chat.
  • The city of Detroit is launching a Summer Youth Arts Employment Training Initiative to train and hire teens for summer jobs.
  • Dearborn’s Economic Development Department and the American Arab Chamber of Commerce is hosting a resource fair from 4-8 p.m Wednesday, May 14, at the Ford Community & Performing Arts Center.

Do you have a community story we should tell? Let us know in an email at detroiteveningreport@wdet.org.

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The post Detroit Evening Report: Ono steps down as U-M president after accepting same role at University of Florida appeared first on WDET 101.9 FM.

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