Michigan State University Board of Trustees Appoints Kevin M. Guskiewicz as Its Next President
Guskiewicz will automatically join the Michigan State University Research Foundation board when his tenure commences on March 4, 2024
Kevin M. Guskiewicz has been named the 22nd president of Michigan State University. Photo courtesy of Jon Gardiner/UNC-Chapel Hill.
EAST LANSING, MI — Kevin M. Guskiewicz, an accomplished neuroscientist, sports medicine researcher and academic leader, has been named the 22nd president of Michigan State University (MSU). Currently the 12th chancellor of the University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill, Guskiewicz was approved by the MSU Board of Trustees during a special board meeting in East Lansing on December 8. He will begin his term on March 4, 2024.
“I am eagerly looking forward to working with all Spartans to build on this great university’s strong historical foundation,” said Guskiewicz. “I intend to foster a culture of collaboration and, by working together, we can propel MSU to even greater eminence through its powerful commitment to student success, knowledge discovery and land-grant service.”
As the University’s new president, Guskiewicz will also become a member of the board of the MSU Research Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit focused on economic development through technology commercialization.
“We’re excited to welcome President Guskiewicz to the MSU Research Foundation and look forward to working together to drive innovation and create impact,” said David Washburn, Executive Director of the MSU Research Foundation. “The Innovate Carolina initiative at UNC has done great work commercializing technologies under his leadership.”
During his nearly five-year tenure as chancellor, Guskiewicz led Innovate Carolina, a $1.2 billion research enterprise at UNC-Chapel Hill. He implemented its strategic plan and established a hub to support the university’s networks of innovators and entrepreneurs. Guskiewicz’s leadership within Innovate Carolina has made significant impacts in commercialization, new venture creation and innovation. These efforts have contributed to economic development initiatives throughout North Carolina.
Guskiewicz joined the UNC faculty as an assistant professor in the Department of Exercise and Sports in 1995, where he spent 28 years moving up the ranks as a professor and chair. He was named interim chancellor in February 2019 before being appointed chancellor in December 2019. Prior to those roles, he served as dean of UNC-Chapel Hill’s largest academic institution, the College of Arts & Sciences, from 2016-19, where he made interdisciplinary research and experiential learning cornerstones of his tenure.
At UNC, Guskiewicz founded the Matthew Gfeller Sport-Related Traumatic Brain Injury Research Center and is a nationally recognized expert on sport-related concussions. His work has garnered numerous awards and has influenced concussion guidelines in the NCAA and the NFL. Among his accolades, Guskiewicz was awarded the MacArthur Fellowship in 2011 for his innovative work on the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of sport-related concussions. In 2013, Time magazine named him a Game Changer, one of 18 “innovators and problem-solvers that are inspiring change in America.”
The MSU Board of Trustees also approved Guskiewicz’s appointment as a professor with tenure in the College of Education’s Department of Kinesiology.
Read the full story at msutoday.msu.edu