Former Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan will not be the University of Michigan's next president, removing one of the most prominent names floated for the job as the university pushes toward an early fall hire.

Duggan's spokesperson Andrea Bitely confirmed Friday, Aug. 14, that the former mayor is no longer considering the position. Instead, Duggan is joining Detroit-based Honigman Law Firm as a partner in its government relations and public policy practice, the Detroit News reported.

"I wanted to stay in the city," Duggan told The Detroit News. "There are so many exciting things happening here, and I wanted to be able to be here and enjoy it without having to worry about whether the trash was picked up or the cops were moving traffic."

Duggan, a 1983 U-M law graduate, had been in the running according to multiple sources who spoke to MLive, though a university spokesperson declined to comment on whether he was formally under consideration. His name had been pushed by donors and community members since the position opened.

The university has been without a permanent president since Santa Ono departed in May 2025. The Board of Regents thought it had found its leader in Syracuse University Chancellor Kent Syverud, who was unanimously appointed Jan. 12, but Syverud withdrew in April after being diagnosed with brain cancer.

Interim President Domenico Grasso was elevated to the full-time role while the board restarted its search on May 4, again working with executive search firm Spencer Stuart and a committee chaired by outgoing Board Chair Mark Bernstein.

Regents Sarah Hubbard and Paul Brown have said the university is considering "non-traditional candidates" and that the next hire will likely come from outside the institution. No other names are public.

The regents are targeting an early fall 2026 decision, MLive has reported, meaning Ann Arbor could have a new university president within weeks.

Duggan's next chapter

At Honigman, Duggan will advise on investigations, infrastructure and economic development, crisis response and community relations. He said the firm made him an offer three or four weeks before the announcement. He will not be lobbying.

Before becoming mayor in 2014 through a write-in campaign as Detroit emerged from bankruptcy, Duggan served as CEO of Detroit Medical Center and as a Wayne County prosecutor. He ended an independent bid for Michigan governor in May 2026.

The next public signal on the presidential search will come from the Board of Regents, which has not announced a timeline for finalist interviews or a formal vote.