Michigan State University President Kevin Guskiewicz

Michigan State University President Kevin Guskiewicz joins us to discuss a huge semester and week for Michigan State University. 

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
This is West Michigan's morning News. Steve, Kelly, Brett, Pakita,
Laurence Smith. Don't be lulled into a false sense of
security about conditions getting better. As temperatures are now dropping.
A winter weather advisory could bring one to three more
inches of snow. We will discuss in just moments. On
the other side of good news, let's get the latest

(00:22):
now from Michigan State University. There, President Kevin Guskowitz on
the liveline. Mister President, thank you for taking time to
do this today.

Speaker 2 (00:31):
Oh Steve, thanks for having me.

Speaker 1 (00:33):
What a semester to be the president of MSU. Talk
to us a little bit about how things wrap up
some commencement and what for me was the time where
I would pack a whole semester of laundry into the
person driving me home's car.

Speaker 2 (00:47):
Well, a lot of excitement here on campus, even with
the falling snow the past ten days, two weeks. But
just walk the dogs. Who's got the four five snowman?
Big ones out there on Adams Field this morning with
the snow that came down last night, a good wet,
packing snow. But at graduation weekend, we're going to graduate

(01:10):
over forty seven hundred Spartans on both Friday. I've one
ceremony on Friday, three on Saturday, and you know, it's
just a great time of year to hopefully after that
for our faculty staff maybe to you know, unplug a
little bit for a few weeks recharge, and before you
know it, the January seventh will be here when we're
starting that spring semester.

Speaker 3 (01:31):
President Guskowitz, being the sports guy here on the show
and also being a Spartan fan, I have to agree
with you on unplugging a little bit, because you guys
had quite a week last week. There was a few
announcements in press conferences.

Speaker 2 (01:42):
Right we did. We had a busy week. You know.
We introduced a new football coach, Pat f and Cheryld
on Tuesday, also launched our new or Sparta campaign, which
is part of our larger capital campaign, and we launched
back in March, which is a four billion dollar campaign,
and we increased the goal for athletics at a billion dollars.

(02:05):
It's about two hundred and fifty million on top of
what had already been targeted with that forced part of
campaign and the big campaign, as you know it is
called the Uncommon Will Far Better World. And we had
the best fundraising year in the history of the university
this past year, so a lot of excitement around that.
And then of course on Friday, we announced just an

(02:27):
incredible gift by Don and Greg Williams and their family,
a four hundred and one million dollars gift to the university.
It's the largest in the history of Michigan State, and
some have said maybe the largest gift to one of
the largest gifts to any university in the country.

Speaker 3 (02:47):
Wow, tupart question, you're real quick. Kudos on the hire
of Pat Fitzgerald. I want you to talk about him
a little bit, and I just think he's a great
fit in his knowledge of the university, the Big Ten
and also his relationship with former head coach Mark Antonio
in current basketball at coach Tom Izzo. And then the
second part of that is the part that will be
used for athletics and how crazy I try to explain

(03:09):
to sports fans it is with nil and it's the
wild wild West out there, isn't it.

Speaker 2 (03:14):
Absolutely? And you know, you know, regarding Pat Fitzgerald, I mean,
he's a proven leader, he understands I think the full
mission of intercleague athletics he's he's focuses on competitive excellence,
academic achievement, and I think really the holistic development of
student athletes has got a great track record, and so
we're excited to have him here. He knows how to

(03:35):
recruit here in the Midwest, and it was really eager
to jump back in after having been out for two years.
And so I think it's a great hire. You know,
my phone blew up for a few days after that,
and a lot of energy. And I think if you
saw him at the center court as the basketball game

(03:56):
last week tonight that we announced him, the place was
was electric. He he really brings it a lot of
fire and the belly, as I say, And then I
think with n I, you know, with but he knows
how to you know, he knows how to fundraise. You
have to do that in this world of the changing
landscape of rev share for student athletes. N I l
but yeah, a lot of the landscape has changed dramatically

(04:18):
here in the last three or four years. But I
think this is best positioning us to be able to
do that. This gift will help support some new facilities
and some renovations that I think are necessary for us
to create a great game day experience for our fans
and to be able to recruit talent.

Speaker 1 (04:33):
Wow, Sky's the limit. President at Michigan State University, Kevin Gusk,
who it's a pleasure. Thank you for your time this morning.

Speaker 2 (04:41):
Thanks so much, Steve, always good to be with you.