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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.

RELATED STORIES

• Get to know C. Cybele Raver
• What other leaders are saying about Raver’s appointment
• Raver’s biographical information

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, the National Science Foundation, the 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,” President Domenico Grasso said 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.”

Board of Regents statements on C. Cybele Raver’s appointment:

Regent Jordan Acker

“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. In a world where we have lots of leaders, some better than others, it’s so important to have role models and people who are great, especially great female leaders. And I think about for my own daughters and I see Cybele and I say, ‘This is a person that is not just a leader, but as someone that we can be proud of and proud to have as our president.’”

Regent Mark Bernstein

“All around us, our mission is never more visible as we see our students beginning their journey here. It is, indeed, a moment of transformation for our students, and that is why it is so fitting that this meeting marks a moment of transformation for our university. Today, I’m so very proud to elect Dr. Cybele Raver to serve as our next president because she understands how a great university changes lives and impacts our society.

All of us on the board, during this process, were struck by her clear vision and sense of purpose, her success as a leader in higher education, her appreciation for the unique challenges and opportunities at Michigan — and I would say of equal and maybe greatest importance, her decency and her integrity. Dr. Raver’s journey has led her here to this very moment. She is more than ready to be a university president, and most importantly, she’s ready to be our president.”

Regent Paul Brown

“To Cybele, first, your family. Thank you so much for having raised such an amazing daughter in a house of artists. I think that is an important aspect of your background, which we’ll all be able to benefit from. I grew up in northern Michigan, a long way from the Ann Arbor campus, but I can tell you the passion and the importance of the University of Michigan is just as important in the U.P. as it is in Downriver.

When we did one of our interviews up in my hometown, it was particularly poignant for me and I could see the difference in the focus you’re going to have to do what I think is the role of this university, which is purely to support humanity, and particularly the people of the state of Michigan, and you understand that responsibility. … We had an amazing group of qualified candidates, but it was obvious you were the brightest and the best. And you will continue to make this university the leaders and the best.”

Regent Sarah Hubbard

“I’d say to Dr. Cybele Raver, she really understands the scale and complexity of a university like ours, one with a world-class academic core, major research enterprise, academic medical center, and a public mission that extends well beyond Ann Arbor. Her background in developmental science, her experience at NYU, Cornell, and Chicago, before Vanderbilt, all of that has demonstrated her ability to build strong teams and gives me real confidence in her ability to lead Michigan through this moment.

It’s a pivotal time for our university. We need a president who can unite our campus community, strengthen our research standing, and protect what makes Michigan the best public university in the country. I am delighted and thrilled to help elect Dr. Raver to be our next president. Welcome.”

Regent Denise Ilitch

“Our new president is a very trusted individual and will continue to build trust in our community. She is a strong listener. She wants to hear everybody’s viewpoints, and that will be a key, I think, to her success. She’s well-rounded. She’s a team builder. One of my most favorite qualities of hers is that she’s a collaborator, and she gets everyone talking to everyone. And since we’re such a large community, it’s really going to be a gift and a skill to keep us unified in our same goal.

She’s a collaborator. She finds how to solve problems by collaborating. She’s an excellent scholar, that goes without saying. Another of my favorite things about her is her strong inner strength, and we all need that as Michigan personnel. She’s a change agent, too, and so she’s going to be very good at keeping up with what’s going on in our world and adapting when it’s appropriate. I really want to encourage the Michigan community to give her a warm welcome, let her have a honeymoon, and give her time and patience to learn our community, to learn the traditions of our community and to learn the Michigan way.

Her goal is to make an impact and change the world, and that’s what we do here at Michigan. We change the world, and we train leaders, and that is her ultimate goal. She passed up other opportunities to be the president of the University of Michigan. One added bonus, she’s really fun to be around. So you all are going to love that. So welcome. We are ecstatic that you’re here.”

Regent Carl Meyers

“As we gather here today, at this moment, right now, as we welcome Dr. Raver, Cybele, and now Madam President, as our 17th president of the University of Michigan. This has only happened 17 times, so all of you in the audience know that this is a special moment, and this is a special moment for the University of Michigan. This is a transformative moment. We have the right leader for this moment to move us forward. Cybele, I’d like to welcome you to the Michigan family, and I’d like to welcome Cybele’s family to the Michigan family as well. You are now officially all Wolverines.”

The University of Michigan will add 2,300 student beds to Central Campus this month with the opening of Wolverine Village, a new residential community developed around the idea that where students live impacts how well they connect, study and succeed on campus.

One of the most distinguishing characteristics of the new complex, which includes five residence halls and a dining hall, is that it was shaped directly by students.

More than 2,600 undergraduates contributed to the planning through surveys, town halls and design sessions on everything from room layouts to dining and gathering spaces. Even the name — Wolverine Village — came from student input.

community tours

• Michigan Housing will offer daily tours of Wolverine Village beginning Sept. 2. The tours will highlight the residence halls, gathering spaces, and artwork. Tour capacity is limited, and registration is required.

“Wolverine Village is the direct result of listening to our students,” said Martino Harmon, vice president for student life. “Every space was designed to foster community, support learning, and keep student success front and center.”

Wolverine Village is the first U-M housing built specifically for first-year students since Oxford Houses opened in 1963, addressing a longstanding shortage of undergraduate housing on Central Campus.

The 2,300 additional beds increase U-M’s undergraduate housing capacity by about 25%, meaning every first-year student who applies for university housing by the spring deadline can live on Central Campus if they choose. The expansion also creates more affordable opportunities for returning and transfer students to live in university housing.

Early move-in is scheduled for Aug. 22-23, followed by general move-in Aug. 24-30.

Incorporating student input

The residence halls range from five to seven stories and include doubles, singles and suites, as well as a new “tripleable double,” a larger double that can be converted to accommodate three students if needed to meet demand.

Based on the student feedback, the halls boast abundant natural light, a mix of individual and collaborative study areas, flexible community spaces, varied dining options and visible sustainability features.

Some of those features are firsts for U-M. Wolverine Village is the first housing facility to combine geo-exchange heating and cooling, solar panels and an all-electric dining hall. It is also the first undergraduate residence hall to offer covered bicycle parking, a bicycle repair room, and a rooftop courtyard.

Other firsts include a designated pet relief area for residents with support animals and a centralized package room in Building 3 where students can retrieve packages from lockers 24/7.

Laundry rooms are also located in each residence hall, and machine use is now included in the student room rate, so no coins or credit cards will be required.

Honoring a U-M difference maker

Buildings 1-4 are currently unnamed, but Building 5 carries a name with significance: Dr. E. Royster Harper Hall.

The residence hall honors Harper, vice president emerita for student life, who played a key role in expanding and renovating U-M’s residence hall system and advancing efforts related to inclusivity and student well-being. It is the first building on the U-M campus named for a Black woman.

“Dr. Harper was a transformative force for countless students during her four decades of leadership,” Harmon said. “Naming Harper Hall in her honor celebrates that legacy and reinforces just how vital a sense of belonging is to student success.”

Harper Hall will also be home to Bridge Scholars Plus, a yearlong living-learning community for first-year students who participated in the Summer Bridge Scholars Program.

Dining designed for broad dietary needs

Building 1 houses an all-you-care-to-eat dining hall with more than 800 seats, double-height windows, and a living green wall designed to bring a piece of the outdoors inside year-round.

The dining hall will typically be open from 7 a.m.-9 p.m., and its food stations were designed with flexibility in mind.

“We have woks, we have flat-top grills, we have chargrills, we have ovens,” said Steve Giardini, senior director of Michigan Dining.

That equipment, he said, allows the staff to prepare a wide range of cuisines, as well as meals free of gluten and the nine major food allergens.

On the second floor are private dining and event rooms, a rooftop courtyard and a teaching kitchen developed through a partnership between Michigan Dining and LSA.

The new dining hall is also the first all-electric culinary space on campus.

“If you look at the history of Michigan Dining, we have a long history of leading the campus in sustainability initiatives, and moving from natural gas to electricity is something we’ve wanted to do for the environment,” Giardini said.

Making shared spaces feel like home

The interiors of Wolverine Village draw inspiration from the state of Michigan, with white pines, apple blossoms, robins and other state symbols appearing throughout the design.

Each residence hall also takes inspiration from one of the five Great Lakes, with its own color palette and original artwork:

• Building 1, Lake Superior
• Building 2, Lake Huron
• Building 3, Lake Michigan
• Building 4, Lake Ontario
• Harper Hall, Building 5, Lake Erie

“These buildings are our students’ homes, and we want the spaces to feel comfortable,” said Rick Gibson, U-M’s director of housing. “So we were very intentional with the selection of artwork throughout the complex. Most of it is from local artists or artists with a connection to the university.”

Signs next to the artworks will tell visitors more about the artists and pieces, and art guides will be available at the front desks later this fall for those who want to explore all five buildings.

The emphasis on belonging extends to four dedicated spaces throughout the complex too. The Grace Lee Boggs Multicultural Lounge is in Building 1, and Building 3 houses the Mino-bimaadiziwin Multicultural Lounge. Harper Hall includes the Origins Multicultural Engagement Space, while Building 4 has a Reflection Room for meditation, prayer and personal reflection.

Creating connections outside

Michigan-inspired details continue outside as well. On the exterior tower of Building 1, there are four figures carved in Indiana limestone that feature wolverine “grotesques.” Each figure represents one stage of the U-M undergraduate experience: first-year reader, second-year athlete, third-year chemist and fourth-year leader.

Finally, there is a tree-lined pedestrian walkway known as “Wolverine Way” along the western edge of Wolverine Village that connects the development with Revelli Hall and Elbel Field, where the Michigan Marching Band practices.

In 2024, the original Elbel Field was moved one block north to make way for Wolverine Village. The relocated field includes markings that match those in Michigan Stadium, a taller instructional tower, an upgraded sound system, a video board and an additional turf field.

Plans for a potential second phase of Wolverine Village remain under development and will be presented to the Board of Regents for consideration at a later date.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. – University of Michigan Health in Ann Arbor ranks among the nation’s best — and is the top hospital in Michigan — according to the U.S. News & World Report Best Hospitals rankings for 2026-2027.

In this year’s adult hospital rankings, U-M Health was the only hospital in the state named to the Best Hospitals Honor Roll, which recognizes the top 20 among more than 4,000 nationwide.

The rankings are based on each hospital’s patient outcomes, as well as factors such as patient experience and volume, procedural complications and nurse staffing.

“This recognition is a testament to the extraordinary dedication of our teams across Michigan Medicine to delivering exceptional care for every patient who comes through our doors,” said David Miller, M.D., M.P.H., CEO of Michigan Medicine and Executive Vice President of Medical Affairs for the University of Michigan.

“This honor belongs to our physicians, nurses, advanced practice providers, researchers, learners and staff. Their expertise, compassion, and commitment to continuous improvement are what make Michigan Medicine one of the nation’s leading academic health systems and enable us to provide the highest quality care to the patients and families who place their trust in us.”

U-M Health is the clinical division of Michigan Medicine, the University of Michigan’s statewide academic medical enterprise.

U-M Health’s Ann Arbor-area hospitals and health centers ranked among the nation’s best in more specialties than any other Michigan hospital.

U.S. News ranked U-M health in the top 20 nationally in four specialties: ophthalmology (No. 8), rheumatology (No. 10), pulmonology and lung surgery (No. 16) and urology (No. 16). Additional U-M Health specialties were also ranked among the nation’s best:

• Cancer
• Cardiology, Heart and Vascular Surgery
• Diabetes and Endocrinology
• Gastroenterology and GI Surgery
• Geriatrics
• Neurology and Neurosurgery

University of Michigan Health-Inpatient Rehabilitation at Chelsea Hospital, a joint venture between U-M Health and Trinity Health, was also ranked No. 44 nationally for rehabilitation care.

“These rankings recognize what matters most: delivering safe, effective and high-quality care that leads to the best possible outcomes for our patients,” said Hitinder Gurm, MBBS, Chief Medical Officer of U-M Health.

“While we are proud to be recognized across so many specialties and clinical services, we remain focused on continually improving quality, safety and the patient experience throughout our health system.”

U.S. News & World Report also evaluates hospital performance across 23 common procedures and conditions. U-M Health, UM Health-Sparrow and UM Health-West earned “high performing” in the following.

U-M Health high performing

• Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Repair
• Aortic Valve Repair or Replacement
• Back Surgery / Spinal Fusion
• COPD
• Colon Cancer Surgery
• Ear, Nose and Throat
• Gynecological Cancer Surgery
• Heart Arrhythmia
• Heart Attack
• Heart Bypass Surgery
• Heart Failure
• Hip Fracture
• Hip Replacement
• Kidney Failure
• Knee Replacement
• Leukemia, Lymphoma and Myeloma
• Lung Cancer Surgery
• Pacemaker Implantation
• Pneumonia
• Prostate Cancer Surgery
• Stroke
• TAVR

UM Health-Sparrow high performing

• Heart Arrhythmia
• Leukemia, Lymphoma & Myeloma
• Prostate Cancer Surgery

UM Health-West high performing

• Back Surgery
• Hip Replacement
• Prostate Cancer Surgery

To learn more about other U-M clinical care honors, visit Michigan Medicine Honors & Awards | Michigan Medicine.

About Michigan Medicine

At Michigan Medicine, we advance health to serve Michigan and the world. We pursue excellence every day in our 12 hospitals and hundreds of clinics statewide, as well as educate the next generation of physicians, health professionals and scientists in our U-M Medical School.

Michigan Medicine includes U-M Medical School and University of Michigan Health, which includes the C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital, Von Voigtlander Women’s Hospital, University Hospital, the Frankel Cardiovascular Center, the D. Dan and Betty Kahn Health Care Pavilion, Kellogg Eye Center, University of Michigan Health-West, University of Michigan Health-Sparrow and the Rogel Cancer Center. The U-M Medical School is one of the nation’s biomedical research powerhouses, with total research awards of more than $800 million.

More information is available at www.michiganmedicine.org