The University of Michigan is set to appoint Syracuse chancellor Kent Syverud as its next president with a contract that could push total compensation toward $3 million a year, a sum that would rank among the highest for public‑college presidents. Syverud’s expected arrival follows a period of turnover and controversy at Ann Arbor—recent presidential departures, athletic‑department scandals and heightened faculty and student unrest. Syracuse colleagues and trustees say Syverud’s experience there, including stabilizing research and fundraising, positions him for the Michigan job; critics will watch how he manages political pressure from the Board of Regents and state officials.