Syracuse University Chancellor Kent Syverud announced today that he has been diagnosed with brain cancer and is stepping down from his position effective immediately.
In a university-wide statement released this morning, Syverud explained that he was not feeling well last week and went to Crouse Hospital for an appointment. After initial evaluations, he consulted specialists at the University of Michigan, where he was set to become the 16th president on July 1.
Syverud is currently undergoing treatment at the University of Michigan.
This story came from public records we pulled ourselves
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J. Michael Haynie, who was appointed as the 13th chancellor and president of Syracuse University on March 3, will take over starting Wednesday.
In His Own Words
In a message to the University of Michigan community, Syverud wrote: “I want to be straightforward with you: I have been diagnosed with a form of brain cancer.”
He described seeking care at Crouse Hospital in Syracuse last week, then traveling to Michigan for further evaluation by specialists. “I am where I need to be and I am in excellent hands,” he wrote.
His message carried a tone of resolve: “I am approaching this with optimism, with determination, and with full confidence in the people who are caring for me. I believe in the road ahead, and I intend to walk it with everything I have.”
Syverud reflected on the role of research universities in moments like this: “These institutions, places like Syracuse, like Michigan, exist not only to educate and to discover, but to translate that discovery into care for people when they need it most.”
Michigan’s Response
Board of Regents Chair Mark J. Bernstein released a statement on behalf of the board: “It is with a heavy heart, and with Kent’s permission, that I share with you that Kent is currently receiving treatment at Michigan Medicine for a form of brain cancer. As a result, Kent will not be able to serve as our next president.”
The board announced that Domenico Grasso will continue to serve as president until a new search is completed. They plan to re-engage the search process as soon as possible.
In a gesture that speaks to the personal regard the board holds for Syverud, they invited him to serve as a Professor of Law at the Michigan Law School and a special advisor to the Board of Regents.
Bernstein’s closing words: “We know how deeply Kent loves Michigan. And we love him. His decency. His integrity. His intellect, and his values.”
A Consequential Tenure
Syverud became the 12th chancellor and president of Syracuse University on January 13, 2014. He was born in Irondequoit, New York on October 23, 1956, making him a native of the region he would later lead one of its most important institutions.
He earned a bachelor’s degree in foreign service from Georgetown University in 1977, then a law degree and a master’s in economics from the University of Michigan, where he later taught on the law faculty for a decade.
Before Syracuse, he served as dean of Vanderbilt University Law School (1997 to 2005), where he oversaw a $24 million facility expansion, and then as dean of Washington University School of Law (2005 to 2013).
What He Built at Syracuse
Over 12 years as chancellor, Syverud transformed the financial and physical landscape of the university:
- Erased a $440 million inherited debt
- Completed a $1.5 billion fundraising campaign
- Doubled the university endowment to above $2 billion
- Oversaw a $120 million renovation of the JMA Wireless Dome (now JMA Wireless Dome)
- Led $500 million in campus growth, including three new dormitories, the first built on campus in 50 years
- Grew the Institute for Veterans and Military Families to serve more than 200,000 veterans, service members, and military families
- Helped attract Micron Technology’s $100 billion semiconductor investment to Central New York through a $100 million engineering school investment
- Received the TIAA Institute Hesburgh Award for leadership excellence in 2024
12 YEARS AS CHANCELLOR
The Michigan Presidency
In January 2026, Syverud was named the 16th president of the University of Michigan, his alma mater. The appointment came with a five-year contract. He and his wife, Ruth Chi-Fen Chen, whom he met as students at Michigan, had planned to begin the new chapter on July 1.
Syverud will not serve as Michigan’s president.
What Happens at Syracuse
Mike Haynie was appointed as the 13th chancellor and president of Syracuse University on March 3, 2026, after a search process that selected him from within the university’s leadership. Haynie, who built the nationally recognized Institute for Veterans and Military Families (IVMF) at Syracuse and served as vice chancellor, was originally set to take over after commencement on May 10.
He will now begin Wednesday.
LEADERSHIP TRANSITION
A Personal Note
Syverud is 69 years old. He and Ruth Chen have three children. He grew up in Irondequoit, graduated from Georgetown, and spent a decade on the Michigan law faculty before moving into university leadership. He co-chaired the Central New York Regional Economic Development Council and helped secure the $500 million Upstate Revitalization Initiative grant that changed the trajectory of the Syracuse economy.
Whatever your feelings about his tenure, the numbers speak for themselves. He took a university with $440 million in debt and left it with a $2 billion endowment. He helped bring Micron to CNY. That matters.
The Syracuse community is thinking of him and his family today.
TIMELINE
What to Know
- Kent Syverud diagnosed with brain cancer, stepping down as SU chancellor effective immediately
- Was not feeling well last week, went to Crouse Hospital, then consulted Michigan specialists
- Currently undergoing treatment at the University of Michigan
- Will not serve as University of Michigan’s 16th president
- Mike Haynie takes over as SU chancellor starting Wednesday
- Syverud served 12 years as chancellor (2014-2026)
- Erased $440M debt, doubled endowment to $2B+, completed $1.5B campaign
- Oversaw $120M JMA Dome renovation and $500M campus growth
- Helped attract Micron’s $100B investment to CNY
- Born in Irondequoit, NY. Georgetown, Michigan JD. Married to Ruth Chen. Three children.
Photo: Syracuse University News. Sources: syracuse.com, WXYZ Detroit, Detroit News, Wikipedia, Syracuse University News.
