EAST LANSING — Kevin Guskiewicz’s decision to accept the presidency of Clemson University and then change his mind and remain Michigan State University’s president is “unprecedented,” George Mason University Professor Emeritus James Finkelstein said.
Finkelstein, an expert on university president contracts, said he’s never seen someone accept a position, rescind their acceptance, and then stay at the university they were once ready to flee.
“It was just shocking,” Finkelstein said. “I’ve never seen or heard anything like this at a major public university in 30 years.”
On May 17, the MSU Board of Trustees approved a motion allowing Trustee and Finance Committee Chair Sandy Pierce, D-Northville, to negotiate a new contract with Guskiewicz that included a base salary of up to $2 million per year. When he was chosen as Clemson University’s next president 10 days later on May 27, he was offered a salary of a little more than $1.2 million.
The amended contract he signed with Michigan State will give him a base salary of $1.5 million, along with a two-year extension to March 2031. The new salary will take effect Aug. 1.
“He didn’t want people to perceive that this was just about the money, that he had a real commitment to Michigan State and this was his way of showing it, by foregoing half a million dollars in compensation,” Finkelstein cited as a potential reason Guskiewicz may have accepted the lower base salary. He also noted that other money, like deferred compensation, could make a difference.
According to his contract, Guskiewicz will earn $250,000 in deferred compensation a year, up $50,000 from what he was making before.
Additionally, he will be getting 10 hours of private flight time, as provided by philanthropic funding sources.
“He was going to Clemson for less than he would have made had he stayed at Michigan State when they were offering him the $2 million,” Finkelstein said. “It’s very difficult to make sense of what’s going on here.”
Finkelstein said he is anticipating that people at Clemson will have lots of questions. Those could include concerns about MSU interfering with the hiring agreement between the South Carolina university and Guskiewicz to how Clemson moves forward. He said they may return to another candidate or open the search to new candidates.
“From his resignation statement to his reversal, all of this is a first in my experience,” Finkelstein said.
Contact Karly Graham at kgraham@lsj.com. Follow her on X at @KarlyGrahamJrn.
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: MSU president’s decision to stay in East Lansing ‘unprecedented,’ expert says
Reporting by Karly Graham, Lansing State Journal / Lansing State Journal
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By Karly Graham, Lansing State Journal | USA TODAY Network
