Recap of the Oct. 6 Conversation with the Chancellor

“Let's take risks and all hands on deck.” That was Chancellor Gabriella Scarlatta’s charge to the entire UM-Dearborn community as she took the stage for her first Conversation with the Chancellor since being named permanent chancellor in May. The discussion was moderated by Casandra Ulbrich, vice chancellor for institutional advancement.

Scarlatta told the audience of nearly 200 faculty and staff that her top priorities this year are enrollment and achieving financial stability. But before digging into the tough stuff, she took a minute to celebrate the many milestones realized across the university over the last year, including the 46% of Fall 2026 full-time, in-state undergraduates who have their full tuition covered via the Go Blue Guarantee and other scholarships and grants. “That’s 2231 students — a 4% increase over last year,” Scarlatta noted. She also celebrated this fall’s increase in transfer students — 600 new transfer students, marking an 18% growth and the highest number of transfers since 2019. 

Scarlatta noted the success of the university’s new Great Lakes Scholarship, which offers in-state tuition to students from states bordering the Great Lakes as well as Ontario. The initiative was piloted last year and brought in about $350,000 in tuition from students who may not have otherwise attended the university. “It's bringing revenue, but it's also bringing quality students to our programs, including the athletics program,” she said of the initiative, which has helped UM-Dearborn land several out-of-state athletes.

She then reviewed a slate of additional strategic enrollment priorities that she has developed in partnership with the university’s leadership and Enrollment Management teams. These include: expanding academic programs, with a focus on online and flexible degree completion options for non-traditional, adult and working learners; working with community college partners on new and streamlined transfer pathways;  developing guaranteed admission and direct admission pathways; creating a more streamlined undergraduate-to-graduate pipeline and doubling down on retention and academic success. The goal is to get to 9,200 students by 2032.

“To do this, and I really want to emphasize this point, we need to think outside the box,” Scarlatta told the audience.

Other key takeaways:

UM-Dearborn students pay less and earn more

Data on affordability and student outcomes collected over the summer shows that the average actual cost of attending UM-Dearborn is very low for most UM-Dearborn students, Scarlatta shared. Nearly 60% of first-year, full-time, in-state undergraduates pay no tuition at all and, within four years of earning a bachelor’s degree, the median income for a UM-Dearborn graduate is over $77,000. 

“Please be our ambassadors,” Scarlatta encouraged attendees. “This is very important for potential students who are concerned about tuition, for students who are concerned about completion and for students who are concerned about earning powers. This is it: We provide a good education and a great value together.”

It needs to be easy to get to campus

“When I talk to students, they tell us that once they're here, they feel welcomed, they feel supported, they feel they find community and belonging. But getting here, it's a challenge,” Scarlatta said, noting that some faculty and staff also rely on public transit. She and others have been working with the region’s two transit agencies — DDOT and SMART — on new stops and route improvements and they are looking for ways to make the cost of riding DDOT less expensive for students (college students can ride SMART for free). UM-Dearborn alum David Knezek, who recently became the president at Henry Ford College next door, is partnering in this effort. 

The research outlook looks promising

Research funding was down by about $4 million in fiscal year 2026, but this was not unexpected given the current climate, Scarlatta said. She added that external funding data for the first two months of 2027 looks promising and she congratulated Assistant Professor of Computer and Information Science Foyzul Hassan and Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering Mathumai Kanapathipillai, who each recently received $600,000 funding awards from the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health, respectively.

The new U-M president will be a good partner

Scarlatta shared that she has met with incoming U-M President C. Cybele Raver once already and will meet with her again soon after she starts on Dec. 1. “I think that she's really eager to work with us,” Scarlatta said, adding that, when they met, president-elect Raver said she is looking forward to visiting UM-Dearborn when there is a special occasion so she can celebrate with the campus community. “I thought that that was great,” Scarlatta said.

She said interviews for the permanent UM-Dearborn provost are underway and an announcement could come as early as December.

Renovations are on the horizon — going the extra mile can happen now

Scarlatta shared that, for the first time in several years, the university received capital outlay funding from the State of Michigan. It will be used to update the Computer and Information Science Building — the last original building on campus that has not been renovated or modernized. 

Scarlatta also celebrated the College of Education, Health, and Human Services’ move into the Daniel Little Building on main campus and said the College of Business is expected to complete the relocation to its new home in the current Social Sciences Building by January 2028. Planning and fundraising for renovations to the first floor of the Mardigian Library are expected to begin this year, she added.

Scarlatta concluded by answering several questions submitted by audience members. She also encouraged everyone in the university community to continue to show how much they care for students, noting the 150 faculty and staff members who served as greeters on the first two days of fall classes. “I think that makes a real difference in our students' lives,” she said. “We hear it from students when they say in their surveys that they find people who care in Dearborn. So thank you for all you've been doing.” 

Watch the full Conversation with the Chancellor event.

Photos by Michigan Photography