University of Michigan regents confirm C. Cybele Raver as university's next president

The University of Michigan Board of Regents confirmed C. Cybele Raver as its president-elect with a unanimous vote on Tuesday. 

Her five-year term as the university's 17th president begins on Dec. 1. She was formally introduced by the current president, Domenico Grasso. "When the search began, we were looking for the very best, and we found her in Cybele," Grasso said.  

Raver told the trustees and Grasso that Michigan "truly represents greatness, in every sense of the word."  

"Thank you to my colleagues for this process and for finding a candidate that was in a really talented pool and rose to the top," Regent Jordan Acker said. 

Her pending appointment was announced on Aug. 18. 

Raver is the second woman to lead the University of Michigan, following Mary Sue Coleman, who served as the university's president from 2002 to 2014, and then again in 2022 on an interim basis. 

At Tuesday's Board of Regents meeting, Grasso spoke about her leadership style, which involves careful listening to understand and then resolving problems in a "swift and decisive" manner based on input and evidence. Raver also told the trustees that she is looking forward to participating in university traditions and events, including "learning to sing what I understand is, objectively, the best fight song in college sports." 

Raver was most recently at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, where she served as provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs. She also previously held administrative and faculty roles. She earned her Ph.D. in developmental psychology from Yale University. 

The University of Michigan restarted a search for a leader after president-elect Kent Syverud announced in April that he was in treatment for newly diagnosed brain cancer and would no longer be able to serve in the top role. Syverud was invited to stay with Michigan in another capacity, agreeing to serve as a law professor and special advisor to the Board of Regents.  

With that decision, the Board of Regents reopened the search process. 

Grasso first took that role in May 2025, when Santa Ono stepped down. 

The above video originally aired on August 18, 2026.