President Kevin Guskiewicz will remain at Michigan State

Michigan State President Kevin M. Guskiewicz, Ph.D, will remain at Michigan State University after all, Spartans Illustrated can confirm.

Guskiewicz was previously named Clemson University's 16th president, in a unanimous vote, on May 27, 2026.

However, Guskiewicz has had a change of heart. Sources tell Spartans Illustrated that Guskiewicz never signed his contract with Clemson, and that he notified Clemson of his decision to stay with MSU on July 6. Sources also told Spartans Illustrated last week that there was heavy momentum for Guskiewicz to remain in East Lansing.

Clemson has now made a public statement regarding Guskiewicz's decision to remain at Michigan State due to "personal reasons" as well.

This news comes after an outpouring of support was shown by influential Spartans and community leaders such as Michigan State head basketball coach Tom Izzo, Pat Gillespie (president of Gillespie Group) and many others.

According to Justin Thind of Spartan Tailgate, Guskiewicz is expected to sign a five-year extension with an annual salary of around $1 million.

UPDATE: Per an MSU spokesperson: "President Guskiewicz will remain in his position with a salary of $1.5 million. Budget and Finance Committee Chair Sandy Pierce reiterated that the increase in the president's salary would not come from the university’s general fund but is being pursued through non-university resources."

In the weeks prior to Guskiewicz’s decision to take the job with Clemson, rumblings about the president’s issues with Michigan State’s Board of Trustees were abundant.

On May 17, the Board of Trustees had a virtual meeting in which a majority voted to approve an amended contract, for Guskiewicz, which included a $2 million base salary — an increase nearly doubling his previous base salary of $1.03 million — and a two-year term extension until 2031 (with his original contract set to expire in 2029). This is a far greater salary than what is being reported for Guskiewicz's new deal to stay in East Lansing.

During the May 17 meeting, board members, such as Board Chair Briana Scott and Trustee Sandy Pierce, discussed that Guskiewicz was being actively pursued by other institutions, and that Guskiewicz was “frustrated” with the actions of specific board members. The proposed resolution for the raise and contract extension was made in an effort to entice Guskiewicz to stay at MSU amidst his frustration and potential job offers from elsewhere.

Pierce also said that the raise was expected to come from outside of the university’s general fund, but the exact source of the money was undefined — which gave other trustees some pause.

At that same meeting, the Board also amended its Code of Ethics and Conduct, which is designed in part to bar trustees from publicly dissenting from majority board decisions, while still allowing for internal pushback and discussion. 

Guskiewicz did not attend the virtual meeting. 

The resolution regarding the amendment to Guskiewicz’s contract passed by a vote of 6-1. Trustee Mike Balow was the lone dissenting vote, while Trustee Rema Vassar abstained from the vote.

The amendment to the Code of Ethics and Conduct was passed in a 5-3 vote, with Balow, Vassar and Dennis Denno voting against the policy. However, Denno eventually signed it. Balow and Vassar, who did not sign the agreement, face punishments such as public censure, removal of access to non-essential university and athletics events and loss of university-funded legal representation. Balow and Vassar have made it clear that they won't sign the agreement.

When Clemson announced Guskiewicz as its next president-elect in May, he did not hesitate to cite dysfunction within MSU’s Board of Trustees. Guskiewicz referred to it as an "unsustainable situation” in East Lansing. In fact, Guskiewicz’s was willing to take a significant pay cut to lead Clemson compared to Michigan State's amended offered. The Clemson Board of Trustees approved a $1.2 million base salary for Guskiewicz.

However, the Board of Trustees and Guskiewicz have seemingly worked through their issues.

Update: Guskiewicz has sent out an email to students and staff praising the work and leadership of Scott and Vice Chair Renee Knake Jefferson throughout this process. In the statement, Guskiewicz also said that the Board as a whole has "demonstrated a commitment to implementing a more robust governance structure."

Guskiewicz also included this statement in his message to the Spartan community that confirmed he is remaining at MSU:

"Serving as president of Michigan State is one of the greatest honors of my professional life. I am grateful for the opportunity to continue this journey with you, and I look forward to all that we will accomplish together.

Guskiewicz assumed the presidency of Michigan State University on March 4, 2024. A Pennsylvania native, Guskiewicz previously worked as chancellor for North Carolina at Chapel Hill from 2019 through 2024.

Meanwhile, current Michigan State Athletic Director J Batt has accepted a job with Kentucky, and sources tell Spartans Illustrated that he is not expected to stay with MSU despite Guskiewicz remaining in East Lansing.