Kevin Guskiewicz rejected a $2 million pay at Michigan State University to settle for a $1.2 million salary at Clemson University. As talks are ongoing within and outside the school regarding his departure, Guskiewicz has now broken his silence and revealed why he left East Lansing.

“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, in a letter he released after his exit.

“What is perhaps most troubling is the actions of some to abuse their access to privileged and confidential information to misrepresent facts, manipulate situations, and selectively use and leak that information to promote personal agendas.”

Michigan State University made significant progress during Guskiewicz’s stint. At the time of his hiring, the former president wanted to modernize the school’s academics and improve research. Guskiewicz launched the Green and White Council to connect the school’s products to the state’s workforce. He also promoted AI technologies, expanded the Apple Developer Academy in Detroit, and hired a new athletic director.

However, the school’s board disagreed with many of his other ideas. Per the Detroit News, it was so serious that the trustees revealed the former president had been facing health challenges due to his strained relationship with the board. And he confirmed this in his farewell letter, saying, “I have always said that your health, family, and faith must come first above all else.”

A major issue highlighted was the board’s response to a revised national board Code of Ethics and Conduct, which aligns with what “national governance advisors have said are best practices for university boards.” Three board members opposed the revised code: trustees Rema Vassar, D-Detroit; Dennis Denno, D-East Lansing; and Mike Balow, R-Plymouth.

The code was approved only because five members voted in favor. While Guskiewicz had his wish granted, the 5-3 vote was a mirror of the kind of disunited board the university has. In 30 years, the program has hired eight presidents, nine football coaches, and seven athletic directors. Surprisingly, it was the same board that indirectly forced him out of the university that also began attempting damage control by doubling his salary.

Guskiewicz’s exit cost Michigan State more

Despite the issues with Guskiewicz, the board of trustees did its best to retain him. And now, it turns out that there is more to Guskiewicz’s exit than the university just losing its president. A clause in athletic director J. Batt’s contract means his buyout clause is significantly reduced in the event of Guskiewicz’s exit.

Batt signed a six-year, $12.6 million contract last summer when he was hired by the school. However, his contract states that his buyout clause will be halved if Guskiewicz leaves the school. Hence, with Batt’s second year set to begin on July 1, any program that hires Batt would pay just $2.5 million, instead of the previous $5 million.

Goskiewicz had lured Batt away from Georgia Tech due to their relationship. In 2000, while at UNC conducting concussion research with the program’s championship-winning soccer team, Batt was the team’s goalkeeper.

Guskiewicz may not have had the perfect board at Michigan State, but he found a few of them very helpful. He expressed his gratitude to 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.