KEVIN M. GUSKIEWICZ, PH.D.
Kevin M. Guskiewicz, Ph.D., is a neuroscientist and higher education leader who assumed the presidency of Michigan State University on March 4, 2024.
Guskiewicz focuses on the university’s role as a talent activator for the state of Michigan and beyond, preparing students for the global challenges and career opportunities of the 21st century. As the leader of a proudly public educational institution, his chief priority is fostering a university that is strategic, bold, inclusive and student-focused.
In 2011, Guskiewicz received the prestigious MacArthur Fellowship for his innovative work on the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of sport-related concussions. His research has influenced collegiate and professional football safety guidelines, and he has published over 200 peer-reviewed papers and maintains an active research portfolio. He holds a professorship in the MSU College of Education’s Department of Kinesiology.
In 2013, Time magazine named him a Game Changer, one of 18 “innovators and problem-solvers that are inspiring change in America.”
Upon his arrival at MSU, Guskiewicz embarked on a 52-stop listening and learning tour of the university’s colleges and administrative units. The tour initiated his work to help identify an institutional “true north,” leading MSU to provide the best education and workplace culture for Spartans and bold service to the public in the land-grant tradition.
The university celebrated his presidential investiture on Sept. 29, 2024. There, Guskiewicz described his “one team” approach and unveiled his first set of initiatives addressing strategic priorities for Michigan State’s continued rise as a leading global research university.
Among President Guskiewicz’s signature initiatives is the Green and White Council, a group of civic and business leaders, funders and government officials advising MSU on how to best prepare students to meet current and future workforce needs. He has introduced a full-ride, competitive scholarship program that features financial support for experiential opportunities such as education abroad. Other key initiatives include widening access to an MSU degree through programs accommodating Michigan community college transfers, Native American enrollees and Lansing-area students.
To bring the university closer to its Michigan communities, Guskiewicz, in the fall of 2024, inaugurated the semi-annual Spartan Bus Tour. The bus tours take MSU leaders and faculty members to places our students call home and where Michigan State’s impact is felt daily through its research, education and outreach.
To equip the university with the resources to thrive in the 21st century, Guskiewicz, in the spring of 2025, launched Michigan State’s most ambitious comprehensive campaign to date. The $4 billion “Uncommon Will, Far Better World” campaign aims to cultivate lasting change by expanding access and opportunity for Spartans and enhancing their potential through scholarships and programmatic support; growing groundbreaking research and community partnerships to tackle the world’s most pressing challenges; and transforming university spaces and technology to empower Spartans to lead in their fields.
Kevin Guskiewicz’s leadership extends beyond the campus boundaries to include representing Michigan State in prestigious higher education associations, including the Association of American Universities, Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities, University Innovation Alliance, Big Ten Conference, Research Universities for Michigan and the Michigan Association of State Universities.
Recognizing the importance of higher education to the prosperity of the state and nation, Guskiewicz is also active in Business Leaders for Michigan, Citizens Research Council, Detroit Economic Club, Detroit Regional Chamber, Downtown Detroit Partnership, Grand Action 2.0 and the Council for Competitiveness.
Guskiewicz came to Michigan State from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, which he led as chancellor from 2019-24. Earlier, he served as dean of the UNC College of Arts and Sciences, as a department chair and as a Kenan Distinguished Professor in the Department of Exercise and Sport Science. He was executive director of the Center for the Study of Retired Athletes at UNC and the founding director of the Matthew Gfeller Sport-Related Traumatic Brain Injury Research Center.
A 2020 National Athletic Trainers’ Association Hall of Fame inductee, Guskiewicz earned a bachelor’s degree in athletic training from West Chester University, a master’s in exercise physiology/athletic training from the University of Pittsburgh and a doctorate in sports medicine from the University of Virginia.
Born and raised in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, he and his wife Amy have four children: Jacob, Nathan, Adam and Tessa.
Curriculum Vitae
View President Guskiewicz's CV (PDF file)
Multimedia
Download high-resolution photo of President Guskiewicz (PNG file)
