Editor’s note: This action was approved at the May 21 Board of Regents meeting.
Gabriella Scarlatta, current interim chancellor of UM-Dearborn, has been recommended as the next chancellor of the University of Michigan-Dearborn.
President Domenico Grasso will present his recommendation to the Board of Regents at its May 21 meeting on the UM-Dearborn campus. Pending approval, Scarlatta’s five-year appointment will be effective May 22, 2026. She will also serve as an executive officer of the university.
Scarlatta was appointed to her interim position on May 8, 2025, after then-Chancellor Domenico Grasso became president of the University of Michigan. Over the past year, she has provided continuity and leadership for the Dearborn campus, advancing key priorities of the campus’ GoBLUEprint for Student Success strategic plan, including diversifying student enrollment, retention and affordability efforts. Under her leadership, the university launched a Great Lakes Scholarship, offering in-state tuition to qualifying students in states bordering the Great Lakes as well as Ontario, and developed partnerships with transit providers to improve public transportation options for students.
Scarlatta’s expected appointment follows an extensive search led by a search advisory committee of UM-Dearborn faculty, staff, students, alumni and community members. The committee was co-chaired by Laurence B. Alexander, chancellor at UM-Flint, and Ghassan Kridli, interim provost at UM-Dearborn. The group hosted several town hall meetings and discussions to solicit input from the campus and local community
In a message to the U-M community, President Domenico Grasso said Scarlatta has dedicated 30 years to the UM-Dearborn community.
“I’ve worked with Gabriella since 2018, when I became chancellor, and there is no one more committed to UM-Dearborn and the success of its students, faculty, and staff,” Grasso said at the May 21 regents meeting. “She has devoted 30 years to this university, and I am confident she will further elevate its impact as a campus of opportunity that delivers a world-class, accessible education.”
Prior to being named interim chancellor, Scarlatta served as UM-Dearborn provost. Among her accomplishments in that role, she oversaw the integration of practice-based learning across all colleges, a four-credit transition initiative, a new partnership with the Diploma Equity Project for adult learners and mission realignment for the Office of Community-Engaged Learning. She also played a key role in the ongoing consolidation of all four UM-Dearborn colleges on the main campus.
“I am tremendously honored to be recommended as the seventh chancellor of the University of Michigan-Dearborn, my professional home for nearly 30 years,” Scarlatta said. “I look forward to leading the university during this pivotal time for higher education and to my continued work with President Grasso and his successor, the incredible UM-Dearborn faculty, staff and students, and our many community partners.”
Scarlatta, who is also a professor of French studies, received her B.A. and the maîtrise in modern languages from the Université de Savoie in Chambéry, France. She earned her M.A. in French and Italian literatures and her Ph.D in modern languages from Wayne State University. She has published several books and scholarly articles about the French and Italian Renaissance and early women writers. Her forthcoming co-authored volume, “Surviving Voices: Honoring Renée de France’s Enduring Legacy,” reconstructs the life of the second daughter of King Louis XII and Queen Anne de Bretagne through historical documents and poetry.
Scarlatta joined UM-Dearborn in 1996 as an adjunct faculty member in the French Studies Department and became an assistant professor in 1998. She was promoted to professor of French, with tenure, in 2017. She has served as the director of the French Studies Program since 2004. She was named provost and executive vice chancellor for academic affairs in 2022, after serving in those roles in an interim capacity for one year. Prior to this, she served as associate dean of the College of Arts, Sciences, and Letters from 2014-2021.
Scarlatta received the Women’s and Gender Studies Outstanding Research Award in 2004 and 2013 and was an honoree of U-M’s Council on Global Engagement in 2012.
