Michigan State University is retaining its president after all.
Michigan State University | peterspiro/iStock/Getty Images
More than a month after accepting the top job at Clemson University, Kevin Guskiewicz said Monday he will continue as president of Michigan State University.
Guskiewicz, who has led the university for two years, expressed serious governance concerns about Michigan State’s Board of Trustees. In a May 27 message announcing his decision to go to Clemson, he said other board members spent too much energy “revisiting past conflicts and internal disagreements.” He also accused several trustees of following their own agendas.
But Guskiewicz said Monday that he has had productive discussions in the past few weeks with the board’s chairman and vice chairman about management challenges.
“The board has demonstrated its commitment to implementing a strong governance framework, including the recent development of a Code of Ethics and Conduct,” he wrote in his message to the campus community. “I am grateful for the patience the board has given me while I work on this personal decision, and for the confidence and encouragement I have received from the board members, our leadership team, our outstanding faculty and the many alumni, donors, students, staff and friends of the university.”
The change follows weeks of criticism directed at the Board of Trustees, finger-pointing at board members and a campaign to support Guskiewicz. Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer criticized the board’s “antics” in May, and the university’s men’s basketball coach, Tom Izzo, said he was “disgusted” by the board’s rift that led to Guskiewicz’s departure. Izzo urged former students to “stand up because what happened to our president is ridiculous.”
Guskiewicz said in a statement on Monday that the outpouring of support “has played an important role in my thinking and in my belief that this is where [my wife] Amy and I are meant to be.”
He also apologized that his decision to attend Clemson added uncertainty within the Michigan State community.
“I realize that some members of our community may have questions about my commitment. That is understandable,” he said. “Trust is not returned only by words. It is earned through consistency, transparency and action.”
Before Guskiewicz accepted the Clemson job, Michigan State’s board doubled his compensation to $2 million a year—a measure aimed at retaining the president. Now that he’s coming back, he won’t keep all that promotion, the Journal of the World report. He will make $1.5 million a year, starting Oct. 1, and his contract extends through 2031, according to the newspaper.
Clemson posted on social media that the board was told on Monday that Guskiewicz chose to stay at Michigan State for personal reasons. The board will meet soon to decide on next steps.
Guskiewicz said in his May 27 message that he plans to stay on as president for a few weeks to help with the transition. Lansing State Journal It was reported in mid-June that he would “stay on as long as possible” until the board decides how to proceed in his position. But the board had no clear timeline on how to do that and never named an interim president.
Sports Illustrated reported over the weekend that Guskiewicz had not yet moved to South Carolina, noting that his contract states he can give MSU six months’ notice.
After Guskiewicz said he was leaving Clemson, Michigan State athletic director Jay Batt was hired for the same job at the University of Kentucky. Batt’s purchase is cut short if Guskiewicz actually leaves Michigan State. State Affairs reported that the university is not looking to retain Batt, who is currently listed as athletic director on the websites of Michigan State and the University of Kentucky.
