Michigan State University President Kevin Guskiewicz says he’s optimistic he can have a better working relationship with the school’s Board of Trustees.
That’s after accepting a job to lead Clemson University in May and then abruptly announcing Monday afternoon his decision to stay at MSU.
Speaking to WKAR News less than 24 hours after that announcement, he says he’s seen progress over the past few weeks in rebuilding a sense of trust and partnership with trustees, but there’s still work to be done.
"I do believe that we need more conversations with all eight of the trustees and members of my leadership team and myself to be sure that we can work in a constructive way together, so that’s my goal," he said.
In a letter to the campus community after he was hired by Clemson, Guskiewicz admonished unnamed members of the Board for focusing too much on past issues and a lack of collaboration.
In June, Trustees Rema Vassar and Mike Balow were censured for not signing onto a new ethics policy for Board members. The code of conduct approved by the majority of the Board in May references a “duty of loyalty” and limits individual trustees' ability to dissent from majority board decisions. Balow and Vassar have said the terms of the agreement restricts their free speech and narrows transparency at the highest levels of the university.
Guskiewicz says finding common ground isn't going to happen overnight.
"We've got to just keep reminding everyone of what we've all committed to."
Meanwhile, as leadership changes have played out at Michigan State and the University of Michigan, so have new pushes to move away from Board members being chosen at closed party conventions.
Alternatives include conducting open primaries or allowing the Governor to appoint them.
But Guskiewicz says he isn’t weighing in on these discussions.
"I'm going to work alongside every trustee that wants to help me and my leadership team move the university forward, that wants to work in a partnership, and so whether they're elected, appointed, I'm going to work with who wants to work alongside us."
The University of Michigan is searching for its next leader after President-Elect Kent Syverud stepped away following a cancer diagnosis.
Guskiewicz is receiving a half million dollar raise as part of his agreement to stay at MSU.
The Board of Trustees has said that money is not coming from the school’s general fund but instead has been secured through “non-university resources.”
Guskiewicz says what's next for him is beginning a search for a new athletic director as AD J Batt prepares to leave and scheduling a listening and learning tour for the fall semester.
Interview Highlights
On reconsidering his decision to leave
Certainly accepting that offer back in May, I did not take lightly. A lot of soul searching, deliberation with family and others that went into that. It took a lot of time, because Amy and I love Michigan State, and so to get to that decision was challenging again, because of the love that we have for this place, but we eventually made that decision. And to answer your question, I think that there was always this question about are we making the right decision, and then the outpouring of support that came in the weeks following that decision certainly played a role in the decision to reconsider the move.
On finding new common ground with the Board of Trustees
I have always said that there can be healthy disagreements as part of good governance, and that a healthy tension is probably what's needed, you know, for a great public university to move forward, but I do believe that continually relitigating decisions that have been made takes time and energy away from serving our students, advancing our research, supporting our faculty and staff and fulfilling our mission. And so I think those conversations that have been had over the past several weeks, I think are moving us in a better direction, and I do believe that we need more conversations with all eight of the trustees and members of my leadership team and myself to be sure that we can work in a constructive way together, so that's my goal, and I'm optimistic that we'll get there.
On rebuilding trust with the campus community
There's been an outpouring of support for us to stay in the role here, and for my wife and I to continue to be part of this incredible community, and it's about showing up. It's about listening, as I always do. I talk about the importance of being a servant leader, and I think we've demonstrated that we do that, and that's what we've heard from so many people, and so we love Michigan State. We love the culture that exists on this campus to be a proudly public university.
Interview Transcript
Sophia Saliby: Kevin Guskiewicz will remain as Michigan State University’s president. He announced he would be staying at the school Monday instead of taking the top leadership job at Clemson University.
The news comes after ongoing tensions with and among the Board of Trustees and the departure of Athletic Director J Batt.
President Guskiewicz joins me now to talk about his decision. Thank you for being here.
Kevin Guskiewicz: Thanks for having me, Sophia.
Saliby: Just jumping into it, and in the spirit of transparency, when did you start to consider different options when it came to your future at MSU, and why?
Guskiewicz: Well, there are a number of presidential vacancies right now, and, you know, there are folks that will knock on your door, and you know, ask if you'd be willing to consider them, and obviously most of them you don't consider.
But I reached a point back in the early part of this this year, back in February, March, where I decided that it was time to take a look at a few, and the Clemson one evolved, and again, you know, a lot that's happened since then. But it was the end of May, May 27 I think it was, when I had announced that I was going to accept that opportunity.
Saliby: After Clemson announced they were bringing you on, was staying at MSU an option in the back of your mind when you think back to that moment at the end of May?
Guskiewicz: Well, certainly accepting that offer back in May, I did not take lightly. A lot of soul searching, deliberation with family and others that went into that. It took a lot of time, because Amy and I love Michigan State, and so to get to that decision was challenging again, because of the love that we have for this place, but we eventually made that decision.
And to answer your question, I think that there was always this question about are we making the right decision, and then the outpouring of support that came in the weeks following that decision certainly played a role in the decision to reconsider the move.
Saliby: Is there something specific that sticks out in your mind, or one conversation that helped you make this huge decision to stay?
Guskiewicz: I don't think there was any one singular moment. I think the decision came after a great deal of reflection and many conversations over several weeks.
I've also seen encouraging progress with our Board of Trustees, and in particular, you know, Board Chair Brianna Scott and Vice Chair Renee Knake Jefferson, and demonstrating some really thoughtful leadership and genuine commitment to strengthening our governance structure, and by several of the board members. They are the board leaders currently, but I think that that was a big part of this.
I do think that, you know, the first steps in solving the problem is to publicly acknowledge that there is a problem or a challenge, and we were able to do that over the past several months, and I think that was an important step in getting us to a place where we can advance the university and try to get us all rolling together in the same direction.
But I'd be remiss if I just didn't say that I think what Amy and I experienced throughout the process were a lot of conversations with many people across the Michigan State community, alumni, faculty, students, legislators, trustees who reached out and tried to encourage us to rethink this and to finish some of the unfinished work that we've got in front of us, and so that was a big part of it as well.
Saliby: At this point, there are still two Board of Trustees members who have not signed on to a new ethics policy. That decision has come with consequences. How do you plan to work with them and other trustees kind of as the situation evolves?
Guskiewicz: Well, you know, I have always said that there can be healthy disagreements as part of good governance, and that a healthy tension is probably what's needed, you know, for a great public university to move forward, but I do believe that continually relitigating decisions that have been made takes time and energy away from serving our students, advancing our research, supporting our faculty and staff and fulfilling our mission.
And so I think those conversations that have been had over the past several weeks, I think are moving us in a better direction, and I do believe that we need more conversations with all eight of the trustees and members of my leadership team and myself to be sure that we can work in a constructive way together, so that's my goal, and I'm optimistic that we'll get there.
Saliby: Would you say that tensions have been unhealthy, and a lot of that I think sounds like conversations, but I think a lot of people have pointed out in the past month and a half that there might not be an option to make this all work?
Guskiewicz: Well, I mean, I think there have been times over the past year where that, you know, the the trusted partnership that I need, and I think my leadership team needs with the Board has has suffered, and I've always talked about the importance of partnership, and so we've got to find ways to to rebuild some of that trust.
And it may not happen overnight, but I do believe with the changes that were put in place with the Code of Ethics and with the commitment by the vast majority of the Board to follow those ethics guidelines, and to follow the governance principles that I asked every board member to sign on to when I started here, back in, you know, when I signed on back in December of 2023 that we've got to just keep reminding everyone of what we've all committed to.
Saliby: This has also kicked off a wave of discussion about how university boards in Michigan are selected. This isn't just at MSU, but also probably at University of Michigan, some events that have happened there.
There have been proposals to let voters choose candidates in open primaries, or have the governor appoint trustees. Are you backing any of those methods, or do you have another take on how this could work better?
Guskiewicz: So, I'm going to probably not get involved in that, I know that there have been some efforts to try to change the way trustees are appointed, as opposed to elected, and, you know, I'm going to work alongside every trustee that wants to help me and my leadership team move the university forward, that wants to work in a partnership.
And so whether they're elected, appointed, you know, I'm going to work with with who wants to work alongside us, and so we'll see where that all ends up. I know that there's still talk of something maybe getting on the ballot in November, but time will tell.
Saliby: You are getting a pay raise that the Board has said will not be covered through MSU general fund, but would instead come from what they're saying are "non-university resources." If trustees aren't able to secure that money, are you okay with staying at your current annual salary?
Guskiewicz: It's my understanding that those funds have already been raised.
Saliby: MSU is still losing its Athletic Director J Batt. What are you looking for in your next hire for that position? And how soon are we going to hear news about that?
Guskiewicz: We're going to begin that process very, very soon, and we're looking for, you know, someone who is a combination of, you know, understands, you know, how to work closely with coaches and student athletes, and you know, perhaps has played the game themselves. Someone who has been a college athlete themselves, but somebody who also understands the business side of the operation.
The landscape of intercollegiate athletics has changed dramatically over the last five to 10 years, and so we need somebody who can really help run that department in the same way that corporate America runs their businesses. And so, this is a big industry as you well know, and we need an innovator. We need somebody who can get creative around ways to generate new revenue, and to be a leader.
I want somebody who's going to roll their sleeves up and be at the table at the highest level, both at the NCAA and within the Big 10 leadership groups to help make sure that MSU is best positioned to compete athletically, but also to be sure that the academic standards are remain high.
We just had another great year with our academic performance of student athletes, one of the best that we've seen in the history of MSU, and so we want to keep that strong trajectory. It's going to take a leader that can place high value on all of those issues.
Saliby: When we first talked, when you were hired in 2023, you talked about trust, and in your letter to the campus community following this decision yesterday, you talked about rebuilding trust and showing your commitment to MSU.
What is that actually going to look like over the next months or years with with the Spartan community?
Guskiewicz: Well, as I already said, I mean, there's been an outpouring of support for us to stay in the role here, and for my wife and I to continue to be part of this incredible community, and it's about showing up. It's about listening, as I always do.
I talk about the importance of being a servant leader, and I think we've demonstrated that we do that, and that's what we've heard from so many people, and so we love Michigan State. We love the culture that exists on this campus to be a proudly public university.
And I'll continue to get out and listen, and I'm going to have another listening and learning tour during the fall semester with our colleges and administrative units and hear what's on the minds of folks, and I would have was planning to do something similar to that, regardless of the the events of the past month and a half. So, we're looking forward to it.
Saliby: Kevin Guskiewicz is Michigan State University's president. Thank you for joining me.
Guskiewicz: Thanks, Sophia. It's a pleasure.
This conversation has been lightly edited for clarity and conciseness.
