Michigan State University’s 22nd President Kevin Guskiewicz announced his resignation Wednesday, May 27, saying he will leave Michigan State University for Clemson University in South Carolina.
Guskiewicz will become as the 16th president at Clemson after the Clemson Board of Trustees voted to hire him during a May 27 meeting.
Guskiewicz declined the MSU Board’s offer to bump his salary from $1.03 million to $2 million annually. The board had been aware Guskiewicz was a potential candidate at other schools and approved the new salary during a special meeting May 17 in an effort to keep him.
In a letter to the community on Wednesday, Guskiewicz said some on the MSU board did not act as a team, and instead chose to focus on past issues and disagreements.
As Guskiewicz steps down, the search for his replacement could be a long one, based on past searches at MSU.
Here’s a look at how long recent presidents have served as MSU, and the circumstances around their departure.
M. Peter McPherson (1993-2004)
In October 1993, Peter McPherson was named MSU’s 19th president. The Michigan native earned his bachelor’s degree in political science from MSU in 1963.
During McPherson’s 11 years at MSU, he took leave to serve in Iraq in 2003 as the financial coordinator for the Office of Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance.
In 2004, he retired from MSU.
Lou Anna K. Simon (2005-18)
Lou Anna K. Simon was named MSU’s 20th president in 2005, and was the first woman to serve in that capacity. She earned a doctorate from MSU in 1974, and worked at the university in several capacities, including as a professor.
In 2018, Simon was forced from office under heavy criticism of how her administration handled the Larry Nassar scandal. She was charged with making false statements in the case, but those charges were eventually dismissed.
John Engler (2018-19, interim president)
After Simon’s resignation, former Michigan Gov. John Engler was appointed as MSU interim president while the Board of Trustees searched for a permanent replacement.
Engler faced criticism for his lack of action and overall demeanor when speaking on the Nassar case.
In 2019, Engler resigned from his interim position amid the criticism.
Satish Udpa (2019, interim president)
After Engler left, Satish Udpa was appointed as interim president.
Before taking on the role, he served MSU as executive vice president for administration from 2013-19 and was appointed chairperson of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, and then dean of the College of Engineering.
Udpa served as president until Stanley was chosen the same year.
Samuel Stanley Jr., (2019-22)
Samuel Stanley Jr. became president in August 2019.
A medical doctor who served as president of Stony Brook University for a decade, Stanley was lauded as an outsider with a reputation for empathetic leadership.
Stanley attended Harvard Medical School in 1980 and was a professor, infectious disease and biomedical researcher, and vice chancellor for research at Washington University in St. Louis.
In 2022, Stanley announced his resignation, saying he lost confidence in the Board of Trustees.
Stanley shared his resignation via a YouTube video, which remains available online to view.
Teresa Woodruff, (2022-24, interim president)
Following Stanley’s resignation, Teresa Woodruff was appointed interim president in the fall of 2022. Woodruff was considered by some as a potential permanent president, but chose not to seek the position.
Woodruff was the president when a gunman killed three students and wounded five others on campus on Feb. 13, 2023.
Woodruff served through February 2024, stepping down after Guskiewicz was named the 22nd president in December 2023. He began his term in March 2024.
Contact Sarah Moore @ smoore@lsj.com
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: MSU’s Guskiewicz heading to Clemson. Why did other presidents leave?
Reporting by Sarah Moore, USA TODAY NETWORK / Lansing State Journal
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