Despite these efforts, Guskiewicz said in a campus wide email that discord among board members has created an "unsustainable situation," fueling his decision to leave the university. 

In a statement to The State News, Vassar said that the "unsustainable situation" Guskiewicz described in his campus wide email "was not created by trustees who published op-eds, raised formal governance concerns, or asked questions about a $100 million private equity arrangement."

"Those are acts of constitutionally protected speech. His own departure statement — characterizing that speech as "discouraging behavior" — is the most candid demonstration yet of why protecting it matters. He has proven the argument in his own words," Vassar continued. 

The special meeting also sought to double Guskiewicz's base pay salary from $1 million to $2 million and extend his contract through 2031. During discussion, Vassar rejected the idea that Guskiewicz would leave MSU, despite other members of the board saying that the president was being "aggressively pursued" by other universities.

Vassar echoed that same sentiment, saying that "President Guskiewicz told me personally that he wanted to stay at Michigan State University."

According to The Tiger, Clemson will pay Guskiewicz a base compensation of $1.2 million — $800,000 less than what the MSU board approved in its offer to Guskiewicz during the May 17 meeting. 

The "trustees who published op-eds" refers to multiple penned essays in prominent publications in the state.

In February, Vassar published an opinion essay in Bridge Michigan protesting MSU's decision to curtail its diversity, equity and inclusion programs in response to pressures from the Trump administration, which had failed to gain the legal backing to pause federal funding at universities that continued DEI initiatives.

"It’s time for MSU to reinstate everything it destroyed," she wrote. 

The op-ed was met with immediate resistance from other members of the board, including Guskiewicz, and university administrators, who said that the piece mischaracterized the efforts of the university.  

Trustees Mike Balow and Dennis Denno co-wrote an opinion piece in The Detroit News publicizing their frustrations with the board in April. During the April board meeting, Balow said Denno, Vassar and himself wanted a resolution to be added to the meeting, but that it was blocked by their colleagues. 

In an attempt to quell public displays of conflict, the board approved revisions to its code of ethics and conduct in a 5-3 vote during the meeting on May 17. 

Guskiewicz thanked the five board members that voted in favor of the revisions to the code in his email Wednesday. 

The three trustees who voted in opposition, Balow, Denno and Vassar herself, claimed during the special meeting that the revisions sought to silence certain board members.

"I have always said that my loyalty is to people, not to institutions. To the students whose persistence and graduation outcomes this university has not yet made right. To the faculty and staff who show up daily committed to MSU's land-grant mission. To the voters of Michigan who elected me to ask hard questions on their behalf. Institutions do not have feelings or futures. People do. When loyalty to an institution becomes a shield against accountability, we already know what this university pays. We have the receipts," Vassar said. 

In a statement sent out after the announcement of Guskiewicz's departure, Board Chair Brianna Scott said "The board will provide information regarding a transition plan soon; in the meantime, we wish Kevin and Amy well and look forward to aligning our shared visions over a productive summer in anticipation of a busy and prosperous academic year."

Vassar similarly wished the departing president well in his future at Clemson. 

"I wish President Guskiewicz well at Clemson. The work at Michigan State continues — and it begins now with a presidential search that is transparent, deliberate, and genuinely worthy of the people this university exists to serve," Vassar said.