Clemson is once again searching for a new President.

After a six-month search, Dr. Kevin Guskiewicz was officially approved by the University Board of Trustees back in May as the school’s next President. On Monday, the school announced that due to personal reasons, Dr. Guskiewicz has chosen to stay in his current role as President at Michigan State.

“The Clemson University Board of Trustees was notified today (7/6/26) that Kevin Guskiewicz has chosen to remain at Michigan State University for personal reasons. The national search had a robust pool of candidates, and the Board will be meeting soon to determine next steps.“

Guskiewicz was set to replace Jim Clements, who served as Clemson’s President for 12 years. Clements retired on December 31, 2025. He announced his retirement on December 9. Guskiewicz has spent the last two years as the President at Michigan State University.

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.

The University’s Board of Trustees is set to meet in the near future to discuss the next steps.

Will Vandervort contributed to this story