Clemson’s expected hire for new president isn’t happening after all. What we know
Kevin Guskiewicz won’t be joining Clemson after all.
The school’s incoming university president — who was formally hired on May 27 and was expected to start at Clemson in August — is staying put in his role as Michigan State University’s president, The State has confirmed.
It’s a stunning pivot for Clemson and Guskiewicz just over a month after his hiring. Guskiewicz was on campus and participating in university board of trustees meetings two weeks ago, and he said in his introductory news conference that he and his family hoped to be at Clemson for “many, many years.”
In a message sent to campus and later shared on social media, Clemson said its university board of trustees was informed Monday that Guskiewicz “has chosen to remain at Michigan State University for personal reasons.”
“(Our) national search had a robust pool of candidates, and the Board will be meeting soon to determine next steps,” Clemson wrote in an email to campus.
According to multiple media outlets covering MSU, Guskiewicz is returning to Michigan State and signing a five-year contract extension after a push from Spartans men’s basketball coach Tom Izzo, MSU board of trustees members and other top university leaders to retain the well-liked president.
When he was hired at Clemson, Guskiewicz hinted at dysfunction among MSU’s board of trustees as a top reason for his decision to leave the Big Ten school.
It was an “unsustainable situation,” he wrote in a message to MSU.
Guskiewciz on MSU return: ‘We love this university’
Michigan State student and faculty groups started a “We (Heart) Kevin G” campaign to shower their outgoing president with posters and notes of thanks. Izzo, Michigan State’s legendary basketball coach, also raved about Guskiewicz while blasting the university’s lack of stability and recent leadership churn at positions like president and athletic director.
"I’m sick of it,” Izzo said.
In a letter shared on MSU’s website Monday, Guskiewicz indicated he’d had “productive conversations” with university leadership about the “governance challenges I previously shared,” specifically revolving a university code of ethics and some trustees’ refusal to abide by it.
“I am grateful for the patience the board extended as I worked through this deeply personal decision, and for the confidence and encouragement I received from members of the board, our leadership team, our distinguished faculty and so many alumni, donors, students, staff and friends of the university,” Guskiewciz wrote.
Notably, Guskiewicz’s contract extension with Michigan State reportedly includes an annual base salary of $1 million — less than the $1.216 million base salary he was set to make at Clemson in 2027. It’s another hint his decision to remain at MSU (and leave for Clemson in the first place) wasn’t financially motivated.
“As Amy and I reflected on the possibility of leaving, we kept returning to one simple truth: we love this university,” Guskiewicz wrote of he and his wife.
What’s next for Clemson after president backs out?
Guskiewicz, 60, was set to replace Jim Clements, who retired as Clemson’s president in December after 12 years. Before accepting MSU’s president job in 2024, Guskiewicz was previously chancellor at UNC-Chapel Hill from 2019-24.
Clemson board chairwoman Kim Wilkerson called Guskiewicz “an outstanding leader with an impressive record at every institution he has served.”
Guskiewicz was also considered a sharp athletics mind and someone who could be an asset for Clemson athletics. During his introductory comments to the university’s board of trustees, he name-dropped Clemson football coach Dabo Swinney.
Guskiewicz traveled from Michigan to Upstate South Carolina late last month to participate in the Clemson board of trustees’ summer quarterly meeting from June 24-27. During that campus visit, he sported an orange tie, posed for photos and met with student and faculty groups, per the Post & Courier.
Less than two weeks later, he informed Clemson he was turning down the job.
Clemson will resume its presidential search soon, the university said in a statement Monday. Provost Bob Jones had been serving as interim president after Clements’ December retirement and could resume those duties.
Clemson will once again be searching for only its third president this century. Clements’ predecessor, Jim Barker, spent 15 years as president from 1999-2013.
It’s unclear if Guskiewicz owes Clemson any sort of contractual buyout.
This story was originally published July 6, 2026 at 4:04 PM.
