The University of Michigan has announced Vanderbilt Provost Cybele Raver as the university’s next president. The U of M Board of Regents is expected to vote to confirm her appointment on Sept. 1. She would begin in Ann Arbor in December.
Meanwhile, Michigan State University has announced its next athletic director.
For a look at how those changes will affect the schools' athletic departments, Michigan Public sports commentator John U. Bacon joined host Doug Tribou on Morning Edition.
Doug Tribou: The incoming president, Cybele Raver, would be starting at an unusual time for the U of M athletic department. Athletic Director Warde Manuel is on his way out. He's scheduled to leave at the end of the calendar year. And there’s the issue of how the school will address concerns raised in an independent report on the athletic department.
For the new president, what are the keys to navigating all of that successfully, in addition to the non-athletic concerns that will be on her plate?
JUB: [Laughs] Well, what are you talking about... non-athletic concerns, Doug? Is there something else to a university other than athletics?
Her plate, undeniably, is full. And yet, what will get the most attention almost always is the AD. So she has to hire a new AD — obviously that will be of paramount importance — and figure out how to handle the report that they spent $12 million on in eight months and have not issued a word of it to the public.
As you've heard me say before, they could not have handled it worse. They promised transparency and accountability and delivered zero of either. So, her first decision is how to handle that and hopefully get Michigan on the right path.
DT: Michigan has had quite a number of presidents in recent years. Meanwhile, Michigan State has had quite a number of athletic directors. And the Spartans have a new one this week. Western Michigan University AD Dan Bartholomae has accepted the job. He replaces J Batt, who left East Lansing to join the Kentucky athletic department. How do you like MSU’s choice of Dan Bartholomae?
JUB: A-plus. Bartholomae is the real deal. Under his watch they (WMU) won 37 MAC conference championships, and that's only in a few years by the way, pretty incredibly. They won the MAC football title this last year. More importantly, perhaps, they won the 2025 men's hockey national title, their first national title of any sort since men's cross country 60 some years ago.
So he's done a phenomenal job, and he knows donors as well. This should be a big success in my opinion.
DT: The Lions will play their second preseason game on Saturday when they host the Washington Commanders at Ford Field at noon. The NFL preseason is a tough way to gauge a team. The returning starters didn’t even play in the first preseason game. But more broadly, what does coach Dan Campbell need to do to bounce back after missing the playoffs last season?
JUB: Well, I would argue that Dan Campbell is a great coach. He's got some quirks in play calling, but most of them do. It's really not in his hands. He'll do a great job as he's done in the past.
What has also happened in the past is they have been, it turns out, the second-most injured team in the NFL this century. They need to get lucky on injuries, or at least not as unlucky as they've been.
Of course Mr. [Jared] Goff at quarterback needs to have a strong season. So it's mostly Dan doing what Dan does and hoping for some luck.
DT: The Tigers were hot and had a chance to make a move in their division and then the Chicago White Sox swept Detroit in a three-game series last weekend. They have now lost 5 out of their last 6 after losing a couple more to the Pirates.
Despite cooling off a bit this month, Detroit’s still very much in the hunt for a wildcard playoff spot. The Tigers are one of several teams that seem to be determined to either just get it or just miss it, so... [laughs] Any advice for Tigers fans who might just have to wonder will-they or won’t-they get in for the next six weeks?
JUB: I would take up meditation. Yoga. This team is going to drive you crazy. They blew another save this week. They have blown more saves apparently than anybody else in Major League Baseball. That means that they have the lead and they blow it in the eighth or ninth inning. Their bullpen is horrible and they've done nothing to make it better.
All you can do is cross your fingers and hope for the best and be grateful that they play in an unusually crappy division.
DT: [Laughs] A sinking tide lowers all boats or something like that.
JUB: [Laughs]
DT: All right, John, thanks a lot. Have a good weekend.
JUB: Doug, thank you.
Editor's note: Some quotes in this article have been lightly edited for length and clarity. You can play the full audio of the interview near the top of this page.
The University of Michigan holds Michigan Public's broadcast license.
