The University of Michigan Board of Regents voted unanimously Tuesday to elect C. Cybele Raver as the university’s 17th president, making official the choice announced Aug. 18. Raver will take office Dec. 1.
Raver currently serves as provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs at Vanderbilt University, a role she has held since 2021. During her tenure, she has guided Vanderbilt past $11 billion in annual research expenditures, recruited eight new deans, launched the College of Connected Computing—Vanderbilt’s first new college in more than 40 years—and expanded the university’s academic footprint to New York City; San Francisco; Chattanooga, Tennessee; and West Palm Beach, Florida.
“Vanderbilt Chancellor (Daniel) Diermeier described her impact during her tenure there as profound,” said Board of Regents Chair Michael Behm. “Her national reputation for excellence, her transformational accomplishments and her collaborative approach will benefit us all together as we face numerous challenges and opportunities ahead.”
A fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, Raver holds an appointment as the Cornelius Vanderbilt Professor of Psychology and Human Development at Peabody College. Her research on children’s development, education policy and poverty has attracted more than $24 million in funding from the National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation, MacArthur Foundation and others. Before joining Vanderbilt, she served as deputy provost at New York University and held faculty roles at the University of Chicago and Cornell University. She holds a Ph.D. in developmental psychology from Yale University.
In her acceptance remarks, Raver said, “This moment means so much to me. Throughout my career, I have been profoundly inspired by the impact that universities can have, bringing talented people together across disciplines and supporting them to pursue bold ideas. Michigan does this better than many other universities that I can name, and it’s at a truly remarkable scale. My vision is for us to build on that vision, mission and those values. We have the opportunity to make clear to the world all that Michigan can offer to this great state and to our nation through education, patient care and discovery.”
Raver’s appointment follows a national search led by the university’s Presidential Search Committee, with the assistance of executive search firm Spencer Stuart.
President Domenico Grasso will continue serving in the leadership role through Nov. 30, and the two leaders will work closely together to ensure a smooth transition.
“When the search began, we were looking for the very best, and we found her in Cybele. She has impressive accomplishments as a scholar and an academic leader and is an alum of what JFK called the Michigan of the East,” said President Domenico Grasso of Raver, who received her bachelor’s degree from Harvard University. “Please know that the Michigan community, across all three campuses and beyond, is here to support and cheer for you in the months and years ahead.”
Source: https://news.umich.edu/u-m-board-of-regents-votes-to-appoint-c-cybele-raver-next-president/