A Sunday night vote splits the MSU board

Brianna Scott, the Muskegon trustee who chairs the Michigan State University Board of Trustees, led a fractured board through a contentious special meeting Sunday night. The board voted to nearly double the salary of President Kevin Guskiewicz to $2 million and approved a new ethics policy that critics say silences dissent.

The vote came amid concerns that Guskiewicz could leave the university. Board members said he is being "aggressively pursued" by other institutions.

The salary package

The board authorized Scott and Trustee Sandy Pierce to finalize a new contract for Guskiewicz. The deal would include:

  • A $2 million base salary, up from $1,029,210
  • An unvested employer award of $250,000, up from $200,000
  • A term extension through 2031, extending the current expiration of 2029

The vote was 6-1-1. Trustee Mike Balow voted no. Trustee Rema Vassar abstained.

"We're making a big financial commitment. Hopefully, it's going to come from the donor community," Balow said.

Pierce said Guskiewicz did not request the raise or extension. She told the board the university has access to comparable compensation packages at peer institutions.

Scott defended the move in a written statement after the meeting.

"His 'One Team' philosophy and its impact on MSU's culture, people and presence in our state cannot be overstated. We value his leadership and look forward to his continued partnership for years to come."

The ethics policy fight

The board also voted 5-3 to adopt an updated code of ethics and conduct. The policy had not been revised since 2020. The new language requires trustees to:

  • Support and not undermine decisions made by the majority of the board
  • Uphold the university's reputation
  • Not provide misleading or false information about the university
  • Not divulge confidential information
  • Act "consistent with our fiduciary duties, including the duty of loyalty"

Violations can trigger public censure, removal from leadership positions, denial of access to university events, and referral to the governor for potential removal from office.

Balow refused to sign the policy. He called it an "abomination" that could be "weaponized" against trustees who ask tough questions.

"This document leaves it wide open to be used in a retaliatory measure against any trustee who says something that is unpopular at any given moment. We need to be able to speak on issues of importance even if it ruffles the feathers of other board members," Balow said.

Vassar, who joined the meeting from Egypt around 3 a.m., said she plans to ask Attorney General Dana Nessel to review the policy's constitutionality. She compared the new rules to the culture that protected Larry Nassar during his sexual assault crimes at MSU.

"Silence the questioners, protect the administrators, punish the people who speak, make the rules such that dissent is treated as a violation," Vassar said.

Scott said the policy reinforces existing responsibilities. She pointed to feedback from the Association of Governing Boards, which she said gave the board a "failing grade" on governance at an April work session.

"For some who might be asking why now, during a special board meeting on a Sunday night, I saw that it is never the wrong time to do the right thing," Scott said.

Convention controversy lingers

The board's internal divide comes as Scott faces a separate political challenge. She won the Democratic endorsement for MSU trustee at the April 19 state convention in Detroit, but the results are under appeal.

State Sen. Sylvia Santana, D-Detroit, filed a 53-page appeal alleging voting irregularities. The filing says more than 200 votes were cast remotely, violating party rules that require delegates to be present at the convention.

Santana's filing argued that if those votes were excluded, she would have won the endorsement for one of the two trustee seats by 50 votes. Scott received 38.1% of the vote. The other incumbent, Kelly Tebay Zemke, won by just 15 votes over Santana, with Tebay Zemke at 30.9% and Santana at 30.8%.

"Just 15 votes, and there were 7,200 people there. That's just too close," said Valerie Von Frank, director of Parents of Sister Survivors Engage, who signed the recount petition.

Michigan Democratic Party Chairman Curtis Hertel Jr. said the party remains confident in the results. He announced an advisory committee to examine voting procedures for future conventions.

What happens next

Trustees must sign the new ethics policy by the end of the weekend. Balow said he will not sign it.

The Michigan Democratic Party Appeals Committee must schedule a meeting within 30 days to consider Santana's recount request.

The MSU Board of Trustees' next regularly scheduled meeting is June 12.

"We do know, however, that he is being aggressively pursued, which I mentioned earlier, and we intend to ensure we retain Kevin M. Guskiewicz as the president of Michigan State University," Pierce said. "We do not want to wait."