The Inauguration of Domenico Grasso

Domenico Grasso was inaugurated as the sixth chancellor of University of Michigan-Dearborn on Friday, April 12, 2019. Since beginning his tenure at the university in August 2018, Chancellor Grasso has challenged the campus to think big when charting the vision for the university's next few decades. In formal remarks to the audience of over 600, Grasso struck a similarly bold tone — arguing for UM-Dearborn to secure its status as a gateway of opportunity for all people.

The inaugural keynote address was delivered by Ruth Simmons, president of Prairie View A&M University and formerly president of Brown University and Smith College.  Additional remarks were offered by U-M president Mark Schlissel and Ford Motor Company’s Henry Ford III.

As part of the Installation ceremony, the academic procession included alumni representatives from each UM-Dearborn graduating class; association and university representatives from around the world; UM-Dearborn faculty, staff, students; and leadership from U-M’s three campuses. Shuzaburo Takeda, president, Takeda and Associates, who has decades of experience building collaboration between U.S. and Japanese universities, led a contingent of influential Japanese higher education and business leaders, who attended the ceremony.