The University of Michigan Board of Regents voted unanimously to name Mark Schlissel the 14th president of the University.
Schlissel will replace Mary Sue Coleman, who is retiring in July. Coleman became UM’s first female president and first president tapped from outside the university in 2002.
Michigan's new president is Brown University's provost. He has a B.A. in biochemical sciences from Princeton University and an M.D. and Ph.D. from Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.
“We have dug deep, and our efforts have borne great fruit,” board chairwoman Andrea Fischer Newman said....
Schlissel will faces numerous challenges at a university with a $1.7 billion budget, 44,000 students, a distinguished faculty, many generous donors, the largest public research portfolio in the nation and a renowned health system and intercollegiate athletic program.
Among the greatest challenges include low levels of state funding, an unprecedented fundraising campaign, a slowing of federal research funds, an uncertain football program and a growing skepticism of the value of higher education.
Schlissel will also have to deal with increased pressure from the Black Student Union to improve diversity on campus. The group demanded action from Coleman when it sent a list demands to Coleman and the Board of Regents earlier this week.
Previous Coverage:
UM Students Are Assured President Mary Sue Coleman Wasn't Hammered
Regents Will Vote Today On A New President For The University of Michigan
UM President Mary Sue Coleman Makes The Big 10 Nationally When It Comes to Salary
After A Decade At The Helm Of U-M, Mary Sue Coleman Plans To Retire In 2014
