A campus colleague once reminded me of the many transitions that often occur within a university, including highly visible leadership changes. We are now in the middle of one of those transitions as President Santa Ono decided to leave the University of Michigan when he became a finalist for the same role at the University of Florida.
I have appreciated his leadership and engagement with U-M alumni, including our alumni volunteers and our Board of Directors. Santa, as he insisted on being called, was ever-present at our football tailgates and other Alumni Association events. He was also present on the pages of this magazine, where he enjoyed providing updates from campus to our members. He loved engaging and getting to know our amazing alumni, and we wish him the best in his new endeavors.
I’m so excited to work with Domenico Grasso, PhD’87, who has been named interim president while the search takes place. President Grasso, who served as UM-Dearborn’s chancellor, is no stranger. He and his wife, Susan Grasso, ’85, MSE’87, ’89, are Life Members of the Alumni Association, and over the years, he has supported the Association in many ways. That includes serving as a travel host to Scotland in 2022 and Italy in 2024, representing Dearborn’s campus during our homecoming celebrations, and working with our Board of Directors.
The change in leadership comes at a time of transition on campus. Shortly before Santa announced his departure, the University put in place a number of changes to diversity, equity, and inclusion programs, including the elimination of the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. At the same time, we ended the LEAD Scholars program, a scholarship program that helped more than 900 students say “yes” to U-M by offering financial support, alumni access, and community engagement on campus for 16 years.
I want to extend my heartfelt gratitude to the students, donors, alumni, volunteers, staff, and parents who were part of the LEAD community. While the program has ended, the academic and professional success, along with the imprint on campus from LEAD students and alumni, persist.
Through all these changes, we will continue to uphold the core mission of the Alumni Association to enrich the University of Michigan’s impact by serving as an independent gateway for alums of all identities, backgrounds, and experiences — across the globe and in our neighborhoods — in order to create and deepen belonging to the Michigan family, the Leaders and Best.
To that end, this issue of Michigan Alum takes a deep dive into the topic of sustainability, one of the four core impact areas of the University’s Vision 2034. You will read about alumni and U-M faculty, staff, and students making a real difference and discussing the key issues facing our climate and our future.
No matter what transition is happening near or far from campus, these stories are a reminder of the collective power of U-M researchers and alumni.
Ayanna McConnell is the president and CEO of the Alumni Association of the University of Michigan.
