Michigan State University’s newest president Kevin Guskiewicz has been on the job for nearly two months. The MSU Board of Trustees appointed the former University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill chancellor in December.
Since then, the Board has faced ongoing turmoil with two members censured due to violations of university policy. Trustee Rema Vassar, one of those board members, stepped down from her position as chair because of that.
MSU's tenure-system faculty who are organizing a union have also accused the university's administration of stalling their recognition despite trustees signaling their support at earlier meetings.
WKAR's Sophia Saliby spoke with President Guskiewicz as he neared the end of a weekslong listening tour across campus ahead of spring commencement.
Interview Highlights
On changing people's perception of MSU
I think there's a reputational gap here. I think this place is so good in so many ways from this incredible trajectory with research. We're solving some of the world's biggest challenges. We've got programs that are ranked among the top five nationally in several of our colleges. And so, we just need to start amplifying the excellence that exists here. And so, I want to put a strategy in place for how we're going to do that.
On his other priorities as a leader
Higher ed in general right now is under the microscope. There's issues around free speech. There's issues around safety on campuses and issues around the accrued debt of graduates. And those are three topics that I've spent time talking to our Board of Trustees about with our leadership team.
On his relationship with the Board of Trustees
I have a very good working relationship with each of our eight board members, as well as the board, collectively, as a group. And I think we're making progress. And again, that process has to play out. I'm going to stay focused on what I have control over and that is to move this great university forward as one team.
Interview Transcript
Sophia Saliby: Michigan State University’s newest president Kevin Guskiewicz has been on the job for nearly two months. I last spoke to him just after he was appointed president-elect in December.
President Guskiewicz is here with me now as he nears the end of a weekslong listening tour across campus. Thank you for joining me.
Kevin Guskiewicz: Thanks for having me, Sophia.
Saliby: What have these first two months looked like for you?
Guskiewicz: Busy. [laughs] I've had 23 stops now completed on my 48-stop listening and learning tour. It's been amazing. The people are incredible, been very welcoming to Amy and me and our dog, Koda. And I love getting out on campus visiting with students, but most of the stops have been out in the colleges across the campus.
And on those stops, I'm meeting with our world-class faculty, our dedicated staff and our, as I like to say, curious students. About 9,500 of those curious students will graduate this weekend here from Michigan State University.
Saliby: Is there anything surprising that you didn't know about MSU that you may have learned on this tour?
Guskiewicz: The campus is big. It's a big place. And, while I knew that, just trying to navigate it and learn the various buildings, and I love the landscape. And as you have seen on campus here, today, it's in full bloom right now. And so, it's a beautiful campus.
I think in terms of surprises, just that, as I think I mentioned to you when we last talked, I think there's a reputational gap here. I think this place is so good in so many ways from this incredible trajectory with research. We're solving some of the world's biggest challenges. We've got programs that are ranked among the top five nationally in several of our colleges. And so, we just need to start amplifying the excellence that exists here. And so, I want to put a strategy in place for how we're going to do that.
Saliby: I was going to ask what you think the biggest challenge might be? Is it going to be that reputational gap? Or is there may be something else kind of weighing on you that is a big thing to address?
Guskiewicz: Higher ed in general right now is under the microscope. There's issues around free speech. There's issues around safety on campuses and issues around the accrued debt of graduates. And those are three topics that I've spent time talking to our Board of Trustees about with our leadership team.
I think there's a reputational gap here.
And we've spent a lot of time over the next two months, sort of the second 50 days of my 100-day plan, making sure that we're paying close attention to those challenges that are not unique to Michigan State University, but just to higher ed in general. But I want to make sure that we're taking care of our people.
Saliby: What do you think those main priorities will be for the new academic year? Is it academics? Is it culture? `Is it some of those issues that you've already brought up?
Guskiewicz: Well, we're going to welcome another, perhaps, maybe the largest incoming class of Spartans. Again, we had two consecutive years where we had large classes. I want to be sure that we have the capacity to manage a large class. We want to be sure that we have all the resources in place for them to be successful here, and we will spend time over the summer as we're looking at some of our student success initiatives. That was a big part of the MSU 2030 Strategic Plan. I like to call them strategic roadmaps.
And so, that's going to be a big part of this. We're continuing to increase safety measures on campus through improving lighting and cameras systems around the campus to be sure that we have a safe environment. And also educating people around what free speech is and what it isn't. And so, those are things that are top priorities for me.
Saliby: Do you have a perspective on what free speech means to you and how that will translate to university leadership and administration?
Guskiewicz: Well, I think, as you well know, you're going to see on any college campus, and we're a great global public research university, and you're going to have your occasional protests and activism. And it's been that way for decades. I had the chance this past week to talk up in New York City with Emeritus President Cliff Wharton and his wife Dolores, and it was a real treat to get to hear from them and learn a bit about their Michigan State experience back in 1970-78.
We need to be sure we're protecting people's right to express themselves. But we also have to know that, you know, there's a there's a line that can be crossed, unfortunately, that shouldn't be crossed with respect to hate speech.
And it seems as if history repeats itself, in many ways, because some of the challenges that the campus was facing that are not too different today. But free speech is important. We need to be sure we're protecting people's right to express themselves. But we also have to know that there's a line that can be crossed, unfortunately, that shouldn't be crossed with respect to hate speech.
And we have a lot of students that are concerned about that right now. So, I've been out listening to the students to be sure that we're all on the same page with regard to protecting freedom of speech, that making sure that hate speech, antisemitism, Islamophobia, and it can't exist here. We're going to be doing everything to take care of our people.
Saliby: Looking to more of those issues that have hit MSU in some ways, there's a group of tenure-system faculty who've been working to form a union and they have said efforts have been stalled by the school when it comes to both recognition and bargaining. Do you know why there's been a hold up on that?
Guskiewicz: Again, I sort of came into this seven weeks ago as they were working closely with the administration to try to be sure that they had the right process for getting to a place where there would be a negotiation. And so, I don't believe that the administration is stalling in any way.
They want to be sure that wherever we ultimately land that everybody can look back and say that the process was followed, and we can all feel good about it. So, nobody is stalling. I can reassure you and others that we'll get to a place where I think we'll all feel good about where we're headed.
Saliby: MSU's Board of Trustees remains troubled with controversy since we last talked. Two members Dennis Denno and Former Chair Rema Vassar have been censured for violating school policy, and a report has been sent to Governor Gretchen Whitmer to consider their removal. This is something we talked about in December, but what is your relationship currently with the board?
I'm going to stay focused on what I have control over and that is to move this great university forward as one team.
Guskiewicz: I have a very good working relationship with each of our eight board members, as well as the board, collectively, as a group. And I think we're making progress. And again, that process has to play out. I'm going to stay focused on what I have control over and that is to move this great university forward as one team.
I talked about it with the board and my leadership team at the Board of Trustees meeting 10 days ago, and that is that we have to work together as one team. And that's what this community expects. That's what they deserve. And that's what we'll do.
Saliby: Do you think it would be best if Trustees Denno and Vassar were no longer on the board?
Guskiewicz: I'm not going to comment on that. As I've said, I have a very good working relationship with all eight of the trustees and I'm working collectively with them. And that's going to be left up to others to make a decision on.
Saliby: Looking ahead, your predecessor Teresa Woodruff used the word "stagility," both stability and agility, to define her administration. Do you have a word or phrase that you want to define your tenure here?
Guskiewicz: We certainly need stability, and I may borrow President Woodruff's "stagility" term at some point. But I do think that we need stability. We have several interim deans and vice presidents that I'll be working with the leadership team over the summer months to make sure that we can bring stability into those important leadership roles.
We have a responsibility to recruit and retain the very best faculty, world-class faculty of which we have many here. But we need stability within the leadership to be able to go out and recruit and retain those faculty and give the students the confidence that they are being taught and educated by world-class faculty. So, that's what we'll do.
Saliby: You've spoken about wanting members of the campus community to trust you. So, now that you've been here for a little bit, how do you plan to build that trust?
Guskiewicz: It's getting out and talking to people, and that's what I've been doing. And I have met so many people, and I'm inspired by their passion for Michigan State. I think one of the ways in which I'm building trust is that I am listening, and I think that's really important.
I think all great leaders are one to lead through a servant leadership style, which means that you give people the confidence that they're working alongside me, the leader, not beneath me or for me, and that's how I operate.
I think all great leaders are one to lead through a servant leadership style, which means that you give people the confidence that they're working alongside me, the leader, not beneath me or for me, and that's how I operate. And I think that we're making great progress in that regard. And it's also about communicating.
Just this morning, I sent out my latest community message, and it's about letting the community know that there are great things happening here. But yet, we do have some challenges that we have to address. So, I'm doing the best I can to communicate that out on a regular basis. We'll see what the open rate is on my emails because you can overcommunicate also to where people stop opening the messages. And so, I'm sort of on a two-to-two-and-a-half-week cadence with those messages. And so far, I've heard that the communication is gone well.
Saliby: To end our conversation, I just wanted to ask how you and your family are adjusting to life in Michigan, and how's it been moving on campus?
The greatest resource that we have at Michigan State University are the people, and that's what we have felt, the warmth, regardless of what the weather might be like, we have felt the warmth from the people.
Guskiewicz: Everybody when I was moving here from North Carolina, when Amy and I moved up, they said, "Well, good luck. It's cold. You better have your parka packed." And so, I was joking with somebody the other day, I said, "You know, we got here on March the second, and I think for about seven, eight days, we had 60-65 degree weather." It was fantastic. I said, "I didn't realize that winter came after spring." But we've had some fluctuations as well.
But as I said, we really have adjusted. We're adjusting well. The community has been very welcoming. The greatest resource that we have at Michigan State University are the people, and that's what we have felt, the warmth, regardless of what the weather might be like, we have felt the warmth from the people. And so, it's gone great, and we're looking forward to summer.
Saliby: Kevin Guskiewicz is MSU's President. Thank you for being here.
Guskiewicz: Thanks, Sophia, for having me.
This conversation has been edited for clarity and conciseness.
