Thirty years in the making: Gabriella Scarlatta leads UM-Dearborn into its next era

UM-Dearborn is celebrating 67 years of history this month — and Chancellor Gabriella Scarlatta has had a front-row seat for nearly half of it.

Over a 30-year span, Scarlatta has worn many hats on campus: lecturer, professor, department chair, interim dean, provost, interim chancellor and now, the university’s seventh chancellor. She learned the ropes alongside three previous chancellors, taught thousands of students and helped steady the institution through some turbulent eras.

Among her most vivid memories is the aftermath of 9/11. The day following the attacks, Arab American students gathered in her French classroom, speaking candidly about the slurs, threats and fear they were suddenly confronting.

“I’m so grateful that Chancellor Dan Little kept our campus open on September 11,” Scarlatta recalls. “Students came to campus to find refuge and solace during an incredibly tough time. That sense of community stuck with me.”

Stepping into the chancellor role, Scarlatta faces a future with an increasing list of modern higher-ed challenges. The U-M Board of Regents appointed Scarlatta as UM-Dearborn's chancellor in May, a year after she took on the interim role.

Scarlatta’s strong work ethic was forged early. Growing up in a small Italian town in the Alps, she helped run her family’s general store and bakery. Seeking bigger horizons, she left her hometown behind to attend college in France on a scholarship, later crossing the Atlantic to earn her doctorate in French Studies at Wayne State University.

Along the way, she also mastered the art of connection and grew her appreciation of cultural differences by learning four languages and immersing herself in the three countries where she’s lived — Italy, France and the United States. She’s also familiar with the universities in Southeast Michigan; before securing her tenure-track position, she juggled lectureships at Oakland University, Wayne State and UM-Dearborn.

That blend of international perspective, fortitude and ground-level campus experience fuels her leadership style today. Stepping into the chancellor role, Scarlatta faces a future with an increasing list of modern higher-ed challenges — and the UM-Dearborn community can expect transparency as she guides the university forward. "I come from a background where we're direct," Scarlatta says with a smile. "The word ‘sugarcoat’ doesn't exist in Italian."

Scarlatta recently sat down with Reporter to reflect on her journey to the chancellor position and how her experiences have prepared her for what’s next.

Since you don’t sugarcoat, let’s start with tough topics. How do you respond to the skepticism higher education is facing?

There’s been this narrative over the last four or five years that higher education is not useful. However, that’s not what the data shows. If you have a bachelor's degree versus a high school degree or an associate degree, your earning potential is higher, along with the potential for a healthier life. 

This is particularly true at UM-Dearborn, where our graduates earn a median salary of $77,000 four years after graduation — that’s $17,000 per year higher than the national standard and it is more than double the median income for someone with only a high school diploma.than the median income for someone with only a high school diploma. As a matter of fact, UM-Dearborn graduates’ median earnings are the third highest among all the public universities in Michigan, including U-M and Michigan State.

Beyond that, you learn how to become a better thinker and communicator. You learn to work with people who come from different backgrounds, which builds intellectual empathy — the ability to understand different perspectives. At the same time, you sharpen your practical skills, whether in engineering, accounting, business, teaching, or health and human services. 

Countering this false narrative — along with navigating federal attacks on higher education funding and grants — remains a major challenge. It's ironic because many of the public figures who criticize higher education prioritize getting their own children into top universities. 

I’m proud that nearly 45% of our students at UM-Dearborn are first-generation college students. They and their families understand the life-changing power of higher education and are seeking that here. I know this well because I’m a first-gen student too.

We all benefit from the determination our students have to earn an education. Nearly 95% of our graduates remain in Southeast Michigan. They are our doctors, nurses, accountants, lawyers, entrepreneurs and mayors. Our students invest in this community, work hard and contribute directly to the region's economy.

With demographic changes, visa delays for international students and the skepticism we discussed, enrollment is top of mind for many universities. The Go Blue Guarantee attracts students, but what else is UM-Dearborn doing?

We are a great school and students and graduates have told me how their lives have changed because of their UM-Dearborn degree. Our faculty and staff go above and beyond to help our students reach their goals. So there’s a lot of work being done.

We’re creating initiatives like the Great Lakes Scholarship, which expands in-state tuition rates to include students residing in states bordering the Great Lakes, as well as Ontario. This year, we attended college fairs and high school visits in Ohio, Indiana and Ontario. 

To attract transfer students, we’re continuing to grow our 2+2 articulation agreements with community colleges for students to complete two years there and then two years with us to earn a UM-Dearborn bachelor’s degree. We currently have articulation agreements with Henry Ford College, Jackson College, Schoolcraft College, Oakland Community College, Washtenaw Community College and multiple other partners. We are beginning to expand into northern Michigan too. We’re able to do this because we are looking to offer more online completion options. Our goal is to support transfer students early in their community college experience to ease their transition to UM-Dearborn. 

Transit organizations like the Detroit Department of Transportation and SMART are working with us to ensure our students from the city of Detroit have reliable transportation to campus. We’ve heard from the students that once they get here, they feel welcome, they feel well-resourced — but it’s a challenge to get here. I spoke with Trisha Stein, who is the chief strategy officer for the City of Detroit and is on my Citizens Advisory Committee. She said, “Say no more” and connected the university with the DDOT and SMART directors and we have been working out a plan with them.

I’m also meeting with colleagues in Ann Arbor to talk about the residency policy for in-state students. UM-Dearborn’s residency applications flow through the Residency Classification Office on the Ann Arbor campus and there are some streamlining issues with our student applications. Some of our applicants — someone who traveled abroad after their senior year or who has a parent working overseas, for example — are mistakenly flagged as living out-of-state and this can delay their admission process. But I am confident that this will be sorted out and resolved.

What attracted you to the chancellor role?

This university means so much to me — but did I want such a high-level, demanding, challenging job? Every thought and consideration I had when weighing that question pointed to yes. 

I believe in the work we do and I’ve learned from the wonderful leaders we’ve had at UM-Dearborn like now-U-M President Domenico Grasso. President Grasso really has given me this great faith to serve in key positions. I will never forget that.

I knew that I found my professional and intellectual community at UM-Dearborn 30 years ago and that I would never leave it. But I certainly did not think this would happen when I was teaching part time and then moving through the various steps in academia. This university truly has transformative power — I’ve experienced it myself.

I'm really filled with honor, gratitude and pride to serve as the seventh chancellor of our university.

You are passionate about higher education. What impact did it have on your life?

I grew up in Aosta, which is in northwest Italy, right on the border — about 30 minutes from France and 45 minutes from Switzerland. I always knew that I wanted to travel and to get to know people who were not like me, who thought differently, who looked different from me. I had this ambition to explore, but I didn’t know how I was going to do that. Then I got a scholarship to Université de Savoie-Chambéry in France. That helped grow my interest in becoming a citizen of the world.

My dad was one of eight brothers, growing up right before and during World War II. Because my grandmother owned a flour mill, six of the brothers, including my dad, became bakers and pastry chefs. They all ran their own businesses. My dad baked the bread, supplying local restaurants, hotels and hospitals. My dad would be in front of a hot oven from midnight to 8 a.m. daily to supply our town with fresh bread.

My mom ran a store where she sold his bread, pastries and breadsticks. My mom worked there when she was younger and that’s how my parents met. I spent much of my childhood working in my mom’s store. When I wasn’t in school, I helped her, even continuing through the summer during my college years when I was home from France.

I love my hometown and my family, but I wanted to learn more, to experience more. Higher education gave me that opportunity and it changed my life. 

What lessons did you learn from your family?

You should have a genuine passion for your profession. My dad loved making bread and there was so much reward in giving back to the community. People would come in at 7 a.m. to buy a warm loaf before work, saying the smell of fresh bread was the best part of their day. 

I also grew up surrounded by strong, working women. My mom and all three of her sisters had careers — one is a doctor, one a teacher and my mom and another aunt ran their own stores.

I love teaching and I love research and I’ve been very fortunate to have a career where I can do both. I’ve created a Study Abroad experience to France and I’ll lead it again next year. Even when serving as interim chancellor, I taught a class in the winter semester. And I have a book chapter coming out this fall on women readers in early-modern Italy and a critically co-edited translation and study about the legacy of Renée de France, the daughter of King Louis XII. Reading and translating 500-year-old primary-source documents is relaxing and enjoyable to me.

Speaking of family and what I enjoy, spending time and talking with my kids is at the top of the list. They are adults now and don't live close by — two are in California and one is up north — but I catch up with them on the phone and learn what they are up to every chance I get.

You’ve called UM-Dearborn ‘home.’ Why do you describe it that way?

When I first arrived in the United States, I knew I had to prove myself. Our students carry that same ambition. Education is that ticket to building a successful future. The great majority of our students work hard, care for their families and don't take anything for granted. Those qualities in our students made me feel at home immediately.

The fact that our university is in the heart of Dearborn — a community built and strengthened by immigrants — also means a lot to me. As an immigrant myself, I deeply relate to our students’ background and their families’ journeys.

Plus, I was hired into the Modern and Classical Languages discipline, where my colleagues were from all over the world. They spoke different languages and understood different cultures, so I fit right in.

UM-Dearborn was the perfect place for me to thrive. My heart is here. My home is here. And I want to continue serving our university community so people thrive here for generations to come.

Interview by Sarah Tuxbury