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The Michigan Daily sat down with interim University of Michigan President Domenico Grasso Friday morning to discuss the new Look to Michigan plan, concerns about University accountability in response to federal changes under President Donald Trump\u2019s administration and the protection of free speech on campus. The Daily provided Grasso with the questions prior to the interview. This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n The Michigan Daily: <\/strong>Following the departure<\/a> of former University President Santa Ono, you were appointed<\/a> to the position in the interim. How did you approach the transition from U-M Dearborn to the Ann Arbor campus?<\/p>\n Domenico Grasso: <\/strong>It was pretty abrupt, as you know, and it was sort of like a battlefield promotion. I moved very smoothly because I was very familiar with the University. I\u2019d been an executive officer at the University for seven years. Before that, I\u2019d been provost of a large research university<\/a>. This, of course, is a larger operation, but all of the pieces are similar. When I moved into this position, there were a lot of balls that were still in the air that I had to catch. I think we have a terrific team at this campus and throughout all three campuses, and they were very helpful in my transition to this position.\u00a0<\/p>\n I had three priorities. I wanted to re-establish a sense of trust on this campus with both the faculty and the student base and the staff. Then, to rethink how we were approaching our future with the transition<\/a> from Vision 2034 to Look to Michigan<\/a>. I think that the University of Michigan is in such a strong and positive position now that we can overtake many of our peers as a leader in higher education, and that\u2019s what I\u2019m trying to do in this short time that I\u2019m here: move the University into the passing lane and re-establish the <\/a>trust that has been abrogated<\/a> with the American people and re-establish that social contract that we benefited from for so many years. I think that was my second goal. My third goal was to make sure we are operating in the most efficient and effective manner possible. I have a lot of experience in higher education. I also lean heavily on my experience in the military.<\/p>\n