Michigan State University President Kevin Guskiewicz is leaving his post to become the next president of Clemson University. (AP Photo/Hannah Schoenbaum, File)
Michigan State University President Kevin Guskiewicz is stepping down from his post to become the 16th president of Clemson University.
His departure is marked by controversy on a couple of fronts. First, in a highly unusual move, Guskiewicz made a point of citing his concerns over the functioning of the MSU Board of Trustees, which has had a history of tension, infighting, and attempts to micromanage previous presidents — since 2018, the university has had a total of six presidents, with three of them serving in an interim capacity. Some members of the board have also faced allegations that they’ve engaged in various forms of misconduct such as bullying colleagues and accepting personal gifts from donors.
In addition, Guskiewicz’s exit for Clemson comes less than two weeks after Michigan State offered him a contract extension along with a $1 million raise that would have almost doubled his current salary, in a well-publicized effort to prevent him from being lured away by other institutions that were reportedly aggressively recruiting him.
