University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz is weighing leaving his current position to become president of Michigan State University, according to a statement provided to The News & Observer.
“I am focused on serving the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, a special place I have lived, worked, and loved for 28 years," Guskiewicz said in the statement. "I am very proud of what our university accomplishes every day as one of the best public universities in the country. Through the years, a variety of professional opportunities have been presented to me. My family and I must weigh each one, and we are weighing this one.”
Guskiewicz is the sole contender for the MSU presidency after University of Texas at San Antonio President Taylor Eighmy dropped out Wednesday evening. The names of the two finalists being weighed by the Board of Trustees were provided to The State News by sources close to the board’s deliberations.
Guskiewicz and Eighmy did not return calls or emails seeking comment Wednesday evening.
Soon after the messages were sent, Eighmy withdrew his name from consideration, John Isaacson, the chair of Isaacson, Miller, the outside firm facilitating MSU's search, told The State News.
It's unclear what this means for the board's choice, now that only one candidate remains.
MSU spokesperson Emily Guerrant declined to comment Wednesday evening, saying she had no knowledge of the board's deliberations or how Eighmy withdrawing would affect them.
Guskiewicz, a neuroscientist, has been at UNC nearly his entire career, beginning as an assistant professor in 1998 and climbing the ranks of the institution until he became the chancellor in 2019, according to UNC's website.
His research on the science of sports-related head injuries was widely praised and led him to consult for the NFL and NCAA on their problems with concussions and CTE.
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