Clemson students surprised but hopeful after new president steps away
By Nate Stanley
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CLEMSON, South Carolina (WYFF) — The Clemson University community is reacting to an announcement that its new president would be stepping away just weeks after he was given the role.
On Monday afternoon, told students and staff that the board of trustees was informed that Kevin Guskiewicz will remain in his position as president of Michigan State University.
Guskiewicz said he was leaving Clemson to return to Michigan State for personal reasons.
In a letter he released Monday, he says he didn’t feel right leaving Michigan State. The decision has left students in shock on campus, many who have started summer classes or freshman orientation with the start of fall around the corner.
“It is very unfortunate that we now have to go back to the drawing board. And fortunately, we have already done the presidential search,” said Clemson student Sawyer Werab, “surprised, very surprised.”
In that letter to the MSU community, Guskiewicz said in part, “As Amy and I reflected on the possibility of leaving, we kept returning to one simple truth: we love this university. This place has become home to our family. The people, the mission and the opportunity to make a lasting difference here mean more to us than we can adequately express.”
“I wish that he probably would have informed us more like about how he thought. Because if he deep down knew like, ‘Oh, I’m staying at Michigan,’ he should not have taken the role, and we should have given it to someone else,” said freshman student Annie.
The announcement comes with just 44 days until fall semester classes start, and as freshmen have already made it to campus.
“It was a little bit of a shock. We knew that there was a new president coming in. It was kind of exciting, like a fresh start for everybody. It wasn’t just us who was a freshman on campus, and it was a little shocking that we got an email today notifying us, and we just kind of don’t know the reason. We’re just left in, like, the dark,” said freshman student Trey Bishop. “I’ve been in South Carolina for, I don’t know, six days, had Cookout. I’m never leaving. I don’t know why anyone would go to Michigan.”
With so much still up in the air, Werab is confident Clemson will find the right president to steer the ship.
“It’s really unfortunate that we have to miss out on somebody like that. I mean, he was a really awesome candidate. But, like I said, Clemson University is a great institution. So I don’t have any doubt that we’ll be able to find another great candidate,” he said.
The university has said that the board of trustees will meet sometime in the near future to determine next steps.
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