Last updated Nov. 16 at 8:40 a.m.:
UNC Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz is the sole candidate in Michigan State University's search for president.
The State News reported Wednesday that Guskiewicz and University of Texas at San Antonio President Taylor Eighmy were the final two candidates for the position. However, Eighmy withdrew himself from consideration, John Isaacson, chair of the firm facilitating the search, told The State News.
Teresa Woodruff, MSU's interim president, announced she would not pursue the permanent position in August. Woodruff took on the role after former president Samuel Stanley resigned last year.
Eighmy dropping out of the selection process does not necessarily mean that Guskiewicz will receive the president role. It is unclear what the MSU BOT will choose to do. According to The State News, the board was "deadlocked and unable to agree on one candidate" for the presidency.
In a statement to The Daily Tar Heel, Guskiewicz said he is remaining "focused" on serving UNC but is considering the MSU presidency.
"Through the years, a variety of professional opportunities have been presented to me," he said. "My family and I must weigh each one, and we are weighing this one."
John Preyer, chairperson of the UNC Board of Trustees, said the group wishes Guskiewicz and his family well as they consider "this important decision."
“In the meantime, our focus as a Board remains on the excellence and continued progress of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill," Preyer said. "The success of our university and the promise of its future is bigger than any one person. The momentum and leadership of our state’s world-class university will continue.”
Guskiewicz is a neuroscientist and concussion researcher who became the chancellor of UNC in 2019.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
