University of Michigan, Virginia Tech among colleges seeking new leaders

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Selecting a new college president is a challenging — and often nonlinear — process, with strong candidates in high demand. Just ask the North Dakota State Board of Higher Education.

On April 15, a presidential search committee appointed by the board suspended its efforts to find the next leader of Valley City State University. The indefinite pause came after multiple semifinalists withdrew to accept other opportunities, the public university said.

Committee members and the board are now left to "evaluate options and determine next steps, including the anticipated relaunch of the search," university officials said, though they did not give an anticipated date.

The news comes as the University of Michigan is unexpectedly looking for a new president and both the University System of Georgia and Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University are beginning searches to replace retiring leaders.

Below, we’re rounding up some of April’s biggest leadership changes.

President: Shane Reeves
Institution: University of Wyoming
Coming or going? Coming

Shane Reeves has been named the University of Wyoming's next president, the institution's board announced April 2. He plans to assume the position in July.

Reeves is the dean of the Academic Board at the U.S. Military Academy and, in accepting the university's presidency, will be retiring from the U.S. Army after 30 years of service.

“Throughout my Army career, I have worked with and learned from amazing people who are engaged daily in important work for our nation where communicating, innovating, winning and, most importantly, leading with character are essential,” Reeves said in a statement. “I look forward to applying those same characteristics as president of this amazing university.”

The University of Wyoming's trustee board said it selected Reeves out of more than 100 applicants.

President: Sherman Bloomer
Institution: Oregon State University-Cascades
Coming or going? Going

Oregon State University on April 7 ousted Sherman Bloomer from his position as chancellor of its Cascades campus due to new information obtained through an institutional investigation, said Provost Roy Haggerty.

The investigation began following a March 18 complaint filed with OSU’s Office of Audit Risk and Compliance. It is led by OSU’s Office of Equal Opportunity and Access and is being conducted by an outside team.

Haggerty did not offer further details, saying "the university generally avoids commenting publicly to protect the integrity of the process and the privacy of impacted individuals."

Becky Johnson, a longtime Oregon State official and faculty member, will serve as OSU-Cascades interim chancellor during the investigation. Johnson has a history of taking interim leadership roles within the university amid scandal-induced vacancies.

President: Gundolf Graml
Institution: Ursinus College
Coming or going? Coming

Ursinus College named Gundolf Graml as its new president, effective April 8. Graml joined the private institution in 2024 as its provost. Six months ago, he took the helm as interim president of Ursinus after the board abruptly ousted its leader at the time, Robyn Hannigan.

The Pennsylvania college has faced major budget deficits in recent years. The Grizzly, the institution’s student newspaper, reported in February that Ursinus was eliminating 30 faculty positions, including 16 full-time, non-tenure-track faculty who would not have their contracts renewed in December. Another 14 professors are departing Ursinus “through a voluntary separation package or to pursue other opportunities," an administrator told the paper.

President: Tim Sands
Institution: Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Coming or going? Going

Virginia Tech President Tim Sands intends to retire after more than a decade in the role, he said April 9 in a community letter. He plans to remain in his position until his successor is named.

John Rocovich, head of Virginia Tech's governing board, expressed gratitude to Sands for his leadership and "tireless dedication to our university."

“His drive to expand Virginia Tech’s impact through collaborative engagement with our communities and partners, and his steadfast commitment to public higher education have positioned us well for the future ahead," Rocovich said in a statement.

However, Sen. Tim Kaine, a Virginia Democrat, cast doubt on the circumstances leading to Sands' departure.

“I’m deeply troubled by the sudden departure of President Tim Sands at Virginia Tech," Kaine said in an April 9 statement. "This action has the earmarks of previous well-publicized efforts to oust Presidents at other Virginia public universities," he continued, citing power struggles between college leaders and federal politicians at the University of Virginia, George Mason University and the Virginia Military Institute.

Kaine praised Sands' tenure and called on Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger to "get to the bottom of this latest attack on Virginia higher education and take all necessary action to insulate university leadership from politically-motivated schemes.”

Later that month, Spanberger appointed four new members to Virginia Tech's governing board who she expects to have a hand in selecting Sands' successor.

President: Sonny Perdue
Institution: University System of Georgia
Coming or going? Going

On April 15, University System of Georgia Chancellor Sonny Perdue announced his intention to retire after four years in the role. Leading USG was the first time Perdue, a longtime politician, held a higher ed position.

During his tenure, he installed 14 presidents, led the merger of two universities, and oversaw USG becoming one of six founding members of the Commission for Public Higher Education, a new accreditation agency formed by Southern public university systems.

System Board Chair David Dove lauded Perdue for his focus on college affordability and access, as well as modernizing USG. Perdue will stay on until his successor is named.

President: Kent Syverud
Institution: University of Michigan
Coming or going? Going

Kent Syverud will no longer become president of the University of Michigan following a recent brain cancer diagnosis, he said in an April 15 statement. He had stepped down as the chancellor of Syracuse University to lead the flagship.

In light of his health, Syverud accepted the U-M board’s offer to instead serve as a special advisor and as a professor within the law school. The board said U-M will restart its presidential search process, and Domenico Grasso will continue leading the university in the interim.

President: Verjanis Peoples
Institution: Saint Augustine’s University
Coming or going? Coming

Verjanis Peoples is the new interim president of Saint Augustine’s University, the board of the North Carolina institution said on April 28. She is the beleaguered university’s eighth leader since 2019.

Peoples' new position was just one in a series of significant changes at Saint Augustine’s. The university simultaneously announced it had filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, dropped a lawsuit against its accreditor to remain accredited, and intended to offer students teach-out options to other colleges.