Michigan State University’s Board of Trustees has finalized an updated ethics policy for its members, setting a weekend deadline for trustees to formally acknowledge the new rules. The board approved the revisions 5-3 during a special Sunday evening session, simultaneously moving forward with a compensation adjustment that nearly doubles President Kevin Guskiewicz’s salary to $2 million. The dual votes expose a fractured governance environment at the flagship university, where trustees are grappling with questions of loyalty, transparency, and institutional stability. MSI previously reported that board members have been navigating intense scrutiny over governance priorities and presidential retention in earlier coverage.
Under the updated guidelines, trustees must pledge to uphold the university’s reputation and refrain from providing false or misleading information to the public. The policy explicitly bars members from divulging confidential material and requires them to act “consistent with our fiduciary duties, including the duty of loyalty” once the board reaches a majority decision. Violations of these standards can trigger a suite of internal penalties, including public censure, revocation of access to official university events, removal from committee leadership roles, and formal referral to the Michigan governor for potential removal from office.
The ethics overhaul and the presidential pay increase both drew identical 5-3 divisions, underscoring the ideological split among the trustees. Democratic trustee Brianna Scott and other supporters argue the loyalty provisions simply reinforce baseline expectations for elected board members, ensuring that internal disagreements do not spill into public sabotage. Critics within the room and among university observers, including Democratic trustee Mike Balow, warn that the language could chill legitimate debate and discourage independent oversight.
Student trustees and faculty members have also weighed in on the timing and wording of the policy. Student trustee Rema Vassar has previously compared elements of the board’s current culture to the tenure of disgraced sports physician Larry Nassar, suggesting that punitive loyalty demands mirror past failures of institutional accountability. The salary boost for Guskiewicz, meanwhile, responds to mounting retention concerns as competing institutions reportedly court the university president amid the governance turmoil.
Trustees now face a tight window to execute the updated ethics acknowledgment before the weekend deadline. If signatures are not secured, board leadership retains authority to enforce the penalty provisions outlined in the revised code. The ongoing salary negotiations and ethics debate will likely remain focal points as the board prepares for its next routine session.