EAST LANSING, Mich. (WXYZ) — Michigan State University President Kevin Guskiewicz is speaking exclusively with 7 News Detroit about reversing his decision to leave MSU, his amended contract, and his commitment to the university's future.
Watch the extended interview in the video player below:
Guskiewicz, a neuroscientist who previously served as chancellor of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, began his tenure as MSU's 22nd president in 2024.
"I talk all the time about we're going to be strategic. We're going to be bold," Guskiewicz said.
Less than 8 weeks ago, Guskiewicz made the difficult decision to leave the school he has led for nearly two and a half years — despite record-breaking fundraising, growing partnerships, and student and alumni support. His farewell letter was filled with strong criticism of the board of trustees and announced a new job at Clemson.
In May, Clemson announced that Guskiewicz would be the university's 16th president. That post has since been deleted from the university's website. The university posted Monday: "The Clemson University Board of Trustees was notified today (7/6/26) that Kevin Guskiewicz has chosen to remain at Michigan State University for personal reasons. The national search had a robust pool of candidates, and the Board will be meeting soon to determine next steps."
In a letter to the Spartan community at the time, Guskiewicz expressed frustration with a few of the university's trustees.
"It has become increasingly clear that there are differing perspectives within the Board of Trustees regarding how best to move MSU forward. At times, too much energy has been spent revisiting past conflicts and internal disagreements rather than focusing collectively on the opportunities and aspirations ahead of us," he wrote, adding later, "Despite this discouraging behavior by a few trustees, I am appreciative of the five trustees who recently voted to strengthen their code of ethics and conduct in alignment with what our national governance advisors have said are best practices for university boards."
In the exclusive interview, I asked Guskiewicz about the specific language from that letter.
"I want to read in your words. Publicly undermining decisions. Putting personal decisions above best interests of the university, faculty staff and students. You made that public for a reason. What was your thought?" I asked.
"Well Simon I've always said that in order to solve a challenge. Solve a problem, you have to acknowledge there is a problem," Guskiewicz said.
"We weren't working together as a team, all rowing in the same direction," he said.
I also pressed him on another passage from the letter.
"The letter continued, most troubling the actions of some to abuse their access to privileges or confidential information. Misrepresent facts. Manipulate situations, selectively use and leak info to promote personal agendas. What about that has changed?" I asked.
"I think we've had good conversations around always putting the university first. We've got to be sure that is first and foremost in our minds as a priority," Guskiewicz said.
Amid the fallout came a wave of support for Guskiewicz — including a public call to action from famed basketball coach Tom Izzo, who expressed disappointment over the apparent loss of a fifth president in roughly 7 years. In early June, a campaign started across the university with signs popping up that read "We Heart Kevin G," according to The State News. A website also allowed people to leave a message for Guskiewicz and download graphics to show their support.
Not long after, the board asked Guskiewicz to reconsider. He describes what followed as meaningful and productive dialogue with board leaders, alumni, and others.
He announced he would be staying at the school in July.
Guskiewicz accepted a revised contract that increased his salary to $1.5 million, added private jet access, and extended his contract through 2031.
"Were you surprised by that?" I asked.
"I was pleased the board felt I had earned an increase," Guskiewicz said.
"I'm optimistic we'll get this behind us and stay focused on the future," he said.
Guskiewicz says he is deeply committed to moving forward — though without Athletic Director J Batt, whom he helped recruit. Weeks after the Clemson announcement, it was announced that Batt was leaving to take the same job at the University of Kentucky.
"I'm sorry J made the decision to move on. I certainly understand," Guskiewicz said.
"We got a great interim athletics director in John Palumbo. Also, oversees Spartan Ventures," he said.
Spartan Ventures and its subsidiary Spartan Media Ventures have drawn scrutiny over an alleged lack of transparency. Guskiewicz says the success of sports programs depends on creativity and innovation — but not at the cost of the school's reputation.
"The landscape of college athletics has evolved dramatically in the last 2, 3, 4 years," he said.
"We're already seeing the benefits of that with our jersey patches which we announced two weeks ago, with MSUFCU," Guskiewicz said.
"But, we're not selling off Spartan Athletics I want to be clear about that. There was some misinformation about that," he said.
Guskiewicz says his choice to stay is part of a calling — and one he won't revisit if future disagreements arise.
"Stability matters, and that's something this community has experienced instability at the top the past 7-8 years. That was also a big part of us feeling a commitment to stay," he said.
In a public statement, board chair said: "President Guskiewicz has been transformational for Michigan State University over the past two years, and we are pleased to confirm that he has decided to stay and continue to chart a course forward for our institution."
Guskiewicz stepped into the role following Dr. Theresa Woodruff, who served as interim president. She joined MSU in 2020 as the new provost and executive vice president for academic affairs before being appointed interim president in 2022. Samuel Stanley Jr. stepped down in November 2022 when the board asked him to retire early following his execution of Title Nine investigations, which deals with sexual assault and discrimination.
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This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
