In 2025, Whitmer had the chance to remove two sitting MSU trustees, but ultimately decided to leave Rema Vassar and Dennis Denno in their positions. Both are still trustees on the board Whitmer criticized after Guskiewicz announced his departure this week.

Lawmakers are expected to take up legislation that would amend the Michigan Constitution and give the governor the power to appoint trustees to the governing boards of universities following the surprise special meeting held by MSU's board on May 17. Michigan is one of four states that elects members to the governing boards of its higher education institutions in statewide elections. 

The special meeting was part of the MSU board's last-ditch attempts to retain Guskiewicz at the university, including doubling the president's salary and extending his contract through 2031, following concerns that he was growing "frustrated" with the board. Early Wednesday morning, Clemson University's Board of Trustees voted unanimously to appoint Guskiewicz as the university's next president.

"This is disappointing, but also nobody should be surprised by this outcome given some of the antics we've seen from a handful of [MSU] board members," Whitmer said of Guskiewicz's departure. 

Similar antics were referenced in a campuswide email Guskiewicz sent shortly after the announcement, where he largely blamed his exit on the divisiveness of the board, saying that the situation was "unsustainable." 

Whitmer said the proposed legislation could improve accountability on university boards, particularly following years of turmoil at MSU.

When Guskiewicz assumed the role of the presidency in March of 2024, it neared the end of an investigation into trustees Rema Vassar and Dennis Denno after a public letter by trustee Brianna Scott accused Vassar of misconduct and violations of board bylaws.

A meeting was then held to censure Vassar and Denno, hours away from the start of Guskiewicz's tenure, after a third party investigation verified allegations of misconduct, finding that the two trustees had violated multiple clauses within the board’s codes of ethics and conduct. The investigation corroborated some of Scott's claims, but found that not all constituted a policy violation.

A vote was also held to request Whitmer to consider removing Vassar and Denno from the board. A 1963 amendment to Michigan’s constitution allows the governor to remove or suspend public officeholders for corrupt conduct or gross neglect of duty. 

Whitmer opted not to remove the two trustees in June of 2025, over a year after the board's request. 

"The denial of the request by no means indicates a condoning of the conduct alleged in the referral," Deputy Legal Counsel Amy Lishinski wrote at the time. "Rather, it only means that other considerations related to the Governor’s removal authority weigh against removal under these circumstances at this time."

Whitmer also said that both of Michigan's top public universities, MSU and the University of Michigan, are "navigating critical leadership transitions" and that she will be "watching both closely."

The University of Michigan is in the midst of searching for their next president after president-elect Kent Syverud had to step away from the position due to a cancer diagnosis. 

The proposed legislation may also have significant implications ahead of the November election, where two spots on MSU's board will be up for grabs. Incumbent trustees Brianna Scott and Kelly Tebay Zemke netted the endorsement at the Michigan Democratic Party convention in April, securing their place on the November ballot. The results were contested after state Sen. Sylvia Santana, D-Detroit, appealed the results following voting violation concerns. 

Julie Maday and state Sen. Roger Victory also secured spots on the November ballot after winning the Michigan Republican Party's endorsement in March.