What a difference a month makes. Back in late May, Michigan State University president Kevin Guskiewicz announced he was leaving for Clemson University.
The announcement sent ripples through the school and also caught the attention of Michigan State head men’s basketball coach Tom Izzo. At the time, Izzo said he was “disgusted” by Guskiewicz leaving because of the dysfunction with the Board of Trustees.
But, on Monday, July 6, Guskiewicz told Spartans that he’s back. After getting a lot of support from the community and talking to the board, he announced that he’ll stay at MSU.
Tom Izzo breaks his silence on MSU’s president returning
Izzo commented on the news right away. His comments actually appear in the official announcement from the university.
“In more than two years here in East Lansing, President Guskiewicz has demonstrated exceptional commitment to our students, faculty, staff, alumni and community,” Izzo said in the statement. “Although I’ve always believed that no one individual is larger than the program or the University, strong leadership matters greatly.”
He added: “The progress we’ve made as a university and the philanthropic support shown by our donors are evidence of momentum and belief in our future under his leadership.”
So, all is well in Spartan land again. Meanwhile, University of Michigan men’s basketball coach Dusty May is leaving the university to become the new head coach of the Dallas Mavericks. In two seasons, May took the Wolverines from being 8-24 in the season prior to his coming to Michigan to winning an NCAA title.
Since the Wolverines are the Spartans’ chief rivals, May leaving is only good news for Izzo and the men’s basketball team. But, it’s up to them to capitalize on his departure with their own strong season.
