Outgoing Michigan State University President Kevin Guskiewicz said the behavior of several of the university’s trustees was the reason he decided to leave the university in his goodbye message that was sent Wednesday morning to the campus community.
Guskiewicz said the university’s ability to make “meaningful progress” was hampered by certain trustees, whom he didn’t name, going against what the majority of the board and his administration wanted for the university.
“While I firmly believe we are all better when there is a diversity of viewpoints informing decisions, our ability to make meaningful progress is hampered when disagreements move from offering alternative perspectives into publicly undermining decisions and putting personal interests above the best interests of the university and our faculty, staff and students,” said Guskiewicz’s letter.
“What is perhaps most troubling is the actions of some to abuse their access to privileged and confidential information to mispresent facts, manipulate situations and selectively use and leak that information to promote personal agendas.”
He added that he was “appreciative” of the five trustees who voted to approve a revised board Code of Ethics and Conduct in line with what “national governance advisors have said are best practices for university boards.” Guskiewicz also thanked Board Chair Brianna Scott, D-Muskegon, for her “principled and ethical” leadership and past chair Kelly Tebay, D-Ann Arbor, for supporting him throughout his presidency.
Trustees Rema Vassar, D-Detroit; Dennis Denno, D-East Lansing; and Mike Balow, R-Plymouth, opposed the revised code.
“Michigan’s popularly voted elected constitutional officers do not surrender their First Amendment rights as a condition of service,” Vassar said at the May 17 special online meeting. “A prior restraint on the political speech of elected trustees on matters of direct concern is constitutionally suspect on its face and it demands independent review.”
Scott and Trustee Sandy Pierce said at the May 17 board meeting, which Guskiewicz did not attend, that the trustees had to offer him a higher salary and agree to a revised code of conduct because he had received other offers and they were worried about him leaving. The trustees added that the MSU president was suffering from health issues due to the stress of dealing with the board.
In his letter to the campus community, Guskiewicz corroborated their concerns about his health.
“While I am incredibly proud of what we have accomplished these past two-plus years, I have always said that your health, family and faith must come first above all else,” the letter read. “The ongoing and continuous nature of the aforementioned actions has created an unsustainable situation. So after thoughtful reflection, I have made the difficult decision to leave Michigan State University and accept an opportunity to lead Clemson University as its next president.”
Balow, who was outspoken against several of Guskiewicz’s initiatives, said the language in the letter was “surprising.”
“I’m very disappointed he’s deciding to leave,” said Balow, the lone Republican on the Democratic majority board. “The last time I spoke with him, last Saturday, he was wanting to stay. … To the point he experienced friction with the board, it would’ve been nice for him to sit down and talk about it with the board at length.”
Guskiewicz lauds initiatives in letter
In his goodbye message, Guskiewicz celebrated several of his initiatives that the university is in the process of implementing.
“We advanced work through the One Health Initiative, the Green and White Council, modernizing our general education curriculum, supporting the Student Success Center and continuing our commitment to improving relationship violence and sexual misconduct through our ongoing institutional assessment project,” he said.
Guskiewicz also mentioned the university’s record-breaking fundraising campaign, “Uncommon Will, Far Better World,” which aims to raise $4 billion.
“The record-setting milestones accomplished through the Uncommon Will, Far Better World campaign will shape MSU’s future for years to come,” the letter read. “The new Leinweber Engineering and Digital Innovation Center, Student Recreation and Wellness Center, renovated greenhouses, Plant Sciences building and Multicultural Center are all visual signs of progress and commitment to our communities — close to home and far away.”
Guskiewicz also pointed to the controversial nonprofit that will raise money for the athletic department, Spartan Ventures, as a win. The nonprofit and its for-profit subsidy, Spartan Media Ventures, would allow donors to receive revenue from the athletic department without direct oversight from the board and was stewarded by Guskiewicz and his close colleague and MSU Athletic Director J Batt.
satwood@detroitnews.com
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: MSU’s Kevin Guskiewicz blasts certain trustees as he leaves for Clemson
Reporting by Sarah Atwood, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
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