The University of Michigan’s incoming president Kent Syverud withdrew from the role after receiving a brain cancer diagnosis, disrupting a presidential transition scheduled for later this year. Trustees said they will restart the presidential search process while Domenico Grasso remains interim president. Syverud was selected unanimously by the board in January and had been serving as chancellor of Syracuse University since 2014. In a statement, he said he is undergoing treatment at U-M’s medical center and accepted an invitation to return as a law professor and special advisor to the board. The leadership change lands amid heightened scrutiny of presidential searches and DEI politics in the sector, including a recent University of Florida decision that rejected Santa Ono as a finalist after DEI-related controversy. U-M’s board will now manage continuity, communications, and long-term strategy under an interim leader.