CLEMSON, S.C. (NCN News) – A former UNC-Chancellor is returning to the Carolinas. Clemson University announced Wednesday (May 27) that Kevin Guskiewicz will take over as the next president of the school.
The university’s Board of Trustees voted to approve Guskiewicz’s hiring during a meeting Wednesday morning. He had been the president at Michigan State for two years. Prior to that he worked at UNC-Chapel Hill for two decades, including five years as chancellor.
In a statement, Guskiewicz said: “I’ve known for many years how special Clemson University is, and I’m honored by the opportunity to build on the extraordinary tradition of excellence and to help lead the University into the future. I look forward to engaging with students, faculty, staff, alumni and the many South Carolinians whose passion and support have shaped Clemson into one of the nation’s leading global public research universities. Together, we will build on Clemson’s strong foundation while advancing student success, academic excellence and the University’s land-grant mission of serving the people of South Carolina and beyond.”
While at UNC-Chapel Hill, he rose to Distinguished Professor and chair of the Department of Exercise and Sport Science at the University of North Carolina, where he was also founding director of the Matthew Gfeller Sport-Related Traumatic Brain Injury Research Center and research director of the Center for the Study of Retired Athletes.
On February 6, 2019, he was appointed as interim chancellor of UNC Chapel Hill.[8] On December 13, 2019, he was officially appointed as the 12th chancellor of UNC Chapel Hill. He left for Michigan State University in March, 2024. He navigated UNC-CH through the Covid-19 crisis in 2020.
According to the State News in Lansing Michigan, Guskiewicz stated “discord” among the Board of Trustees as the reason for his departure from the university in a campus wide email sent Wednesday morning.
“While many across this university community have embraced that spirit, it has become increasingly clear that there are differing perspectives within the Board of Trustees regarding how best to move MSU forward,” Guskiewicz said. “At times, too much energy has been spent revisiting past conflicts and internal disagreements rather than focusing collectively on the opportunities and aspirations ahead of us.”
The dissension among the board has created an “unsustainable situation,” Guskiewicz wrote.
Originally from Latrobe, Pennsylvania, Guskiewicz and his wife, Amy, have four children: Jacob, Nathan, Adam and Tessa.
Clemson University approved a five-year contract for Guskiewicz for $1.216 million plus other performance incentives.