7 things to know about incoming MSU president, Kevin Guskiewicz
EAST LANSING — Incoming Michigan State University President Kevin Guskiewicz officially begins his term on Monday.
Guskiewicz will be the second president who is not considered "interim" or "acting" since former President Lou Anna Simon resigned as Larry Nassar was being sentenced in Ingham and Eaton counties in early 2018.
Originally from Pennsylvania, Guskiewicz spent most of his professional career at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, where he served as Chancellor from 2019-23.
What is he known for?
Guskiewicz is known for his research on sport-related concussions. He has published over 200 peer-reviewed papers in the areas of sports medicine and neuroscience, according to his biography on MSU's website.
His team’s research has won multiple awards and influenced concussion guidelines in the NFL and NCAA. In 2011, Guskiewicz received the prestigious MacArthur Fellowship for his innovative work on the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of sport-related concussions.
In 2013, Time magazine named him a Game Changer, one of 18 “innovators and problem-solvers that are inspiring change in America."
How is his name pronounced?
The proper way to pronounce Guskiewicz's last name is Gus-kuh-witz.
How long was he at UNC?
Guskiewicz spent nearly three decades at UNC-Chapel Hill, most of his professional career. He joined the university as an assistant professor in the college of exercise and sport science in July 1995. He became the dean of the school's College of Arts & Sciences in 2016. After former Chancellor Carol Fort's resignation in January 2019, he was appointed interim chancellor. In December 2019, he was appointed chancellor.
How much more will he make at MSU?
Guskiewicz will be paid a base salary of $975,000 a year, but including deferred compensation, the new president's income from the university will exceed $1.1 million annually.
As UNC's Chancellor, he made $620,000 a year, according to an employment letter from the university obtained by the State Journal.
MSU is significantly larger than UNC-Chapel Hill. As of fall 2023, MSU had a total of 51,316 students, according to its website. UNC-Chapel Hill's enrollment is 32,234, according to the school's website.
Will he live in Cowles House?
The president of MSU is required to live in Cowles House and expected to host university events there. Most of the housing, including insurance, will be covered by the university, but Guskiewicz and his family are responsible for insuring their personal belongings as well as reimbursing any food, housekeeping or other costs related to the personal use portion of the presidential home.
To help cover moving costs, he will receive a one-time payment of $75,000 in his first monthly paycheck.
What other perks does the MSU president get?
Guskiewicz will get a variety of benefits as the leader of MSU. Among them:
Memberships in the University Club and Country Club of Lansing paid by the university. He will be responsible for “personal expenses” at the clubs.
He will get the standard employee benefits available for executives for retirement, health care, vacation, life insurance and long-term disability. Stanley's contract called for an annual $28,000 retirement contribution. Guskiewicz's contract does not specify an annual contribution amount from MSU.
Guskiewicz will get a vehicle from the University Department of Police and Public Safety and will have a driver while doing official university business.
The university will additionally lease him a vehicle for business and personal use, and the contract includes fuel, insurance and maintenance. Personal mileage will be considered taxable income. In a change from Stanley's contract, the vehicle is no longer required to be from General Motors Co.
The university will cover any “reasonable business expenses” including professional licenses or fees, along with costs for hosting university events and travel for university business as well as spousal travel expenses.
He will get complimentary tickets to all university sporting events, including a suite for football and basketball games, intended to help boost MSU’s interests.
How does he plans to interact with MSU's trustees?
In an interview with the State Journal in December, Guskiewicz said he planned to utilize "principles of shared governance," to maintain a good working relationship with MSU's Board of Trustees. However, his arrival comes just days after an investigation by a law firm paid for by MSU found "concerning" patterns of behavior by three members of the eight-member, elected board
On Wednesday, MSU released the report, from the law firm Miller & Chevalier, into allegations of bullying and misconduct made in October by Trustee Brianna Scott against board Chair Rema Vassar. The report found that several of the allegations were substantiated, and it also named Trustee Dennis Denno as someone accused of violating university policies.
Miller & Chevalier recommended that Vassar and Denno be referred to fellow Democrat Gov. Gretchen Whitmer for possible removal from their elected positions after investigators found the Democrats "retaliated against Interviewees (of the investigation) and claims that they undertook to launch personal attacks against Interim President (Teresa) Woodruff and the Faculty Senate Chair, (Jack) Lipton." Vassar was also accused of accepting flights and tickets for her and her daughter, in violation of MSU rules.
Specifically in regard to the former head of the university, the two trustees "participated in a meeting with students in which they provided students with confidential and inaccurate information that was not in MSU’s interest to provide in violation of Standard 5 of the Code of Ethics student actions intended to embarrass and unsettle Interim President Woodruff in violation of Standard 8 of the Code of Ethics."
Both trustees were found to have a pattern of overstepping the bounds of their authority.
The law firm also recommended the board consider censuring Scott, also a Democrat, because the letter she sent to the press and public that contained "confidential and privileged attorney/client communications that she did not have authority to disclose," violating the board's code of ethics.
Contact Sarah Atwood at satwood@lsj.com, or follow her on X @sarahmatwood.
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: 7 things to know about incoming MSU president, Kevin Guskiewicz
