Much is asked of the modern university president.
They must deliver valuable degrees amid doubts that college is worthwhile, rake in massive contributions from donors as they face federal and state funding cuts, and navigate a polarized political climate wherein many see an enemy in higher education.
Faced with the tall tasks, Michigan State University’s president has sought to get by with a little help from a friend.
Records show Kevin Guskiewicz quietly brought in his childhood pal Harold Balk to serve in a wholly new $300,000 per year role — Senior Advisor to the President for Strategy and Operational Excellence — months after he started at MSU in March 2024.
It’s an awkward moment for the vaguely defined appointment: As academic department leaders are asked to implement sweeping cuts and layoffs, some view Balk’s role as emblematic of a bloated C-suite that requires its own, especially careful financial audit.
The university has maintained that 9% cuts will be made at the top layers of administration — commensurate with what’s been asked of colleges and units — and told The State News of three positions that have been recently eliminated in the President’s Office. Still, skepticism persists, with faculty members saying MSU has provided them little information on such reductions, and some perceiving a disproportionately cushy culture among university leadership.
"The concern I have… is we are a public institution," said At-Large Faculty Senator Jack Lipton. "We are not a private company where you can hire your friends."
‘Strong relationships’
Exactly how far back Guskiewicz and Balk go is unclear.
In a May article speculating about potential hires for MSU’s athletic director position, The Detroit Free Press said Balk is Guskiewicz’s "childhood friend." Asked if that's true, spokesperson Emily Guerrant said "They have a longstanding relationship, yes." Archived online versions of Latrobe High School yearbooks from the early 1980s appear to show the two attended together and were a grade apart.
Also murky is exactly what Balk has done in his role at MSU, which he took after spending decades working in client development for various law firms based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. His personnel file — obtained by The State News through a Freedom of Information Act Request — does offer a glimpse.
In late August, Balk responded to an email from Executive Assistant to the President Rachel Duncan, who was soliciting information on his accomplishments at MSU and future goals. In the last year, he said he’s "created strong relationships" with stakeholders and donors, and facilitated the Green and White Council, a business initiative to help MSU better meet workforce demands.
The other tasks he lists are in the athletics realm. Balk "helped" with the hiring of Athletic Director J Batt, "Started process" for renovations to the football stadium with "museum move" and "demolition" of the former Central Services Building, and was involved in securing MSU athletics’ new concessions contract with the Chicago-based hospitality company Levy.
Other records in his personnel file suggest less-defined work. A June 5 letter from Guskiewicz to Balk said MSU “will provide” him with a membership to the Country Club of Lansing to "support relationship-building efforts," though Guerrant said Balk didn’t ultimately accept that offer.
A separate letter shows Balk receives a $603.17 per month car allowance, consistent with the "assistant vice president rate." In a document required to receive that allotment, Balk scrawled that his driving activity for the university consists of meeting with "various stakeholders across the state & driving the president’s vehicle on occasion."
This month, Balk received a one percent raise, bringing his salary up to $303,000, Guerrant confirmed.
MSU, for its part, has kept Balk’s work mostly opaque. Though Guerrant said his appointment was communicated to deans, directors and chairs, no public announcement was made. He has no MSU biography online, and the university declined The State News’ request for interviews with him and Guskiewicz for this story.
Guerrant noted several projects Balk mentioned in his email about accomplishments, and said he’s "engaged on projects with the City of Lansing," as well as assisted in fundraising efforts. Furthermore, Guerrant said Balk "engages with the business community and as a liaison to the MSU Research Foundation on way(s) to expand MSU’s economic development reach."
"Harold has extensive experience working in corporate positions for more than 30 years, with a background in legal work, marketing and operations," Guerrant said. "He has experience in business development and in running complex organizations."
‘Protect the president’
Support student media! Please consider donating to The State News and help fund the future of journalism.
To be sure, it’s typical for new university presidents to bring in people they know and trust to their administration, said Jim Finkelstein, a George Mason University professor emeritus who studies college leadership.
Indeed, Balk isn’t the only associate of Guskiewicz that has followed him to MSU.
The president and Athletic Director J Batt first crossed paths at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill when Batt was on the soccer team, and Guskiewicz worked in sports medicine, The Detroit News reported; Director of Presidential Engagement Candice Goerger and Senior Advisor to the Provost Amy Hertel both worked as UNC administrators when Guskiewicz was president there, according to their Linkedin profiles.
And Guskiewicz’s son, Jacob Guskiewicz, worked as equipment manager for the UNC football team for a time when his father was president there, and now serves in that role for MSU’s football team, according to his LinkedIn profile.
The hiring strategy can itself carry risks for university presidents, Finkelstein said. Given their pre-existing relationships, such personnel "tend to protect the president" from — and serve as a "filter" between — faculty and other staff. They may also face hurdles in gaining trust with stakeholders if they’re perceived as not understanding the new institution’s culture.
But even among Guskiewicz’s former associates now at MSU, Balk stands out, Finkelstein noted. Whereas the others have previously worked alongside Guskiewicz professionally, Balk seemingly hasn’t, nor has he ever worked in higher education. (Guerrant said that, to her understanding, the two have never worked together before.)
"In this case, there’s an even greater reason for concern because the person that was brought in has no prior working relationship that we can discern with the president," Finkelstein said.
He added: "He may be a good friend or a confidant that the president calls up and says ‘Hey, I’m thinking of doing this’ over a couple beers, or on the golf course, but that’s not the same as paying someone $300,000 a year to essentially carry the president’s water."
‘Austere times’
Trustee Mike Balow told The State News his interactions with Balk have been positive, and that he seems to report information back to Guskiewicz quickly.
Though Balow is "sensitive" to being fair in hiring people, "in this case (he’s) not really worried about it." He added that Balk "seems to be a very competent administrator" who has brought value to Guskiewicz’s team.
For At-Large Faculty Senator John Aerni-Flessner, "how many advisors a president needs is up for interpretation." Still, what’s clear to him is that Balk fits into a broader dynamic at MSU: "There are a lot of executive management positions and it’s never entirely clear exactly what everyone is doing," he said.
Indeed, Aerni-Flessner and other faculty members have asked the administration to look closely at its budget priorities as the university searches for wide-ranging cuts.
He pointed to a resolution by the Steering Committee from May — shortly after colleges and units were instructed to submit plans for a 9% budget reduction — that claimed there’s been a disproportionate growth of compensation among executive managers over the last three fiscal years. It asked the central administration to "lead by example" by providing its own detailed plan to make cuts before asking academic units to do so.
Such a plan, the committee hoped, would then "be disseminated through the MSU community to ensure equity and fairness in impacting people’s livelihoods in service of institutional financial solvency in these austere times…"
Aerni-Flessner said faculty still haven’t heard from leaders about reductions to central administration, though MSU has said the President’s Office will absorb a full 9% cut this fiscal year with further reductions in the next.
Guerrant, the spokesperson, said two positions that were vacant have been eliminated "through the budget reduction process." One was a second "Executive Assistant to the President" role and the other was a "Survivor Advocacy Coordinator" position, which was created on a "one-year basis" after the release of the so-called Nassar Documents. Additionally, Guerrant said Guskiewicz eliminated the "University Physician" role, which was funded on a half-time basis through the President’s Office.
Some faculty’s perception of cushiness among the university’s top brass has seemingly caused a bit of static.
Lipton, the faculty senator, said he raised concerns to Guskiewicz at a September Faculty Senate meeting that the administration never sufficiently responded to the Steering Committee’s earlier resolution calling for MSU to provide a detailed plan for cuts in central administration given disproportionate raises for executive managers.
Guskiewicz disputed the claim.
In an email sent to the faculty afterwards, which was obtained by The State News, he said he was "disappointed" with the "framing" at the meeting that the administration "never responded" to the Steering Committee’s budget resolution. He added, "Although we may disagree on some of the decisions made during this process, the administration and I took feedback from governance seriously and engaged in several follow-up conversations after the special meeting and resolution."
The president concluded his message with a familiar refrain, calling for "civil discourse" amid tense discussion.
"Looking ahead, I hope we can separate moments of disagreement about decisions from perceptions that important dialogue is not occurring," Guskiewicz wrote. "As I have continued to stress civil discourse these last 18 months, this is a good example of what we need to emulate – the ability to disagree in some cases, but also find common ground and work together in other areas."
