Mark Steven Schlissel (born November 24, 1957) is an American medical scientist who served as the 14th president of the University of Michigan from 2014 to 2022.

He earned his MD degree and a PhD in Physiological Chemistry from the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in 1986 through the Medical Scientist Training Program.

[11] He was offered a $750,000 base salary on a five-year contract, making him the fourth highest paid public university presidents.

[15][16] The expanded financial aid program was supported by the $5.2 billion Victors For Michigan fundraising drive begun shortly before Schlissel's inauguration.

[22][23][24] Schlissel was recognized by the Jesse Jackson's Rainbow PUSH Automotive Project with the Let Freedom Ring award, in recognition of his contributions to diversity at University of Michigan through the Go Blue Guarantee.

[25] Additionally he was named Michiganian of the Year by the Detroit News in recognition of his efforts to promote access to education for Michigan students from diverse backgrounds.

[27] Since the wolverine Pathways program began, over 900 students have attended free weekend and summer supplemental coursework in math, English and science, in addition to SAT or ACT exam preparation courses.

[27][30] In 2016, Schlissel announced the formation of an interdisciplinary research initiative to study and treat poverty, and named Social Work and Public Policy professor Luke Shaefer as its founding director.

[33] Schlissel, who was trained as a medical doctor and as a molecular biologist, launched the Biosciences Initiative in 2017 to expand the University's biology research profile in areas of public importance.

[38][39] In announcing the initiative, Schlissel described his commitment to the arts on campus: "A fundamental notion behind our initiative is the idea that the arts are as essential to a university as they are to life itself... [They are important in] making us excellent, complete and comprehensive; teaching us new ways to visualize, imagine and understand; and taking us far beyond the instrumental value to a place where we can, as this university has always aspired to do, answer the most profound questions applied.

"[40][41] Amid federal scrutiny on potential foreign influence on research in the United States, Schlissel maintained strong relationships with international partner universities during his time as president, including supporting study abroad programs, international data consortia and research collaborations.

[42][43][44][45] Schlissel took several major international tours to visit partner institutions and Michigan alumni living abroad, including a trip to mainland China, Hong Kong, Korea and India.

[46][43][47][48] Mark Schlissel has come into conflict with climate activists over his support for continuing University investment in oil and gas industries.

[51] Concurrent with student activism (starting 8 months before the climate strike, in February 2019), Schlissel's administration had been studying the possibility of running the University using carbon-neutral power through the President's Commission on Carbon Neutrality, which was a successor to a 2015 effort called the President's Greenhouse Gas Reduction Committee.

[53] Based on the work of the two committees, Schlissel and the University Regents adopted a formal goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2040.

The university and Mark Schlissel were criticized for disciplining him, citing a breach of free speech, the right to boycott, and professorial independence.

[59][60][61] During Schlissel's tenure, because of heavy investments in financial aid, most in-state undergraduate students saw no net change in tuition, despite rising costs of higher education nationally.

Criticisms from faculty, staff, and students included the administration's lack of transparency about its plans to safely reopen the campus.

Beginning in July 2020, a leaked memo to Schlissel from the university Ethics and Privacy Committee spread around campus, asserting that the administration's reopening plans did not meet safety guidelines.

[64] On September 8, 2020, the university's graduate student employee union authorized a work stoppage because of concerns with Schlissel's reopening plans and policies.

[72] The following day, the board of regents unanimously voiced support for Schlissel and the administration's handling of the pandemic and the university's reopening.

[79] He had earlier negotiated early retirement with a final annual salary of $927,000; but "that "golden parachute" contract is now void because Schlissel was fired for cause".