Peters for (at least) interim MSU president makes sense 

As the Michigan State University Board of Trustees ponders life after President Kevin Guskiewicz, they’ll want someone with advanced degrees who has experience managing a multi-billion-dollar enterprise and building coalitions. 

They’ll need someone who can work on difficult topics and effectively deliver on policy between different personalities and viewpoints. 

An out-of-state academic? No.  

MSU tried that with Samuel Stanley and Kevin Guskiewicz. Neither had the stomach for it. 

In an era of NIL, paid athletes, media rights and a proposed hotel at Munn Field, MSU needs someone with some political chops.

Neither Gov. Gretchen Whitmer nor former U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow want the job, but there’s a retiring public official who may be better suited for the post anyway – U.S. Sen. Gary Peters. 

I haven’t talked to Peters, but the chatter is he hasn’t ruled out the possibility, and the trustees haven’t ruled him out either. He’s 67. He may only be a rental for a year or two, but he makes sense for now.

1. He gets stuff done. Peters was ranked as the most effective U.S. Senator in both the 116^th and 117^th Congress despite being in the minority both terms, according to the Center of Effective Lawmaking. Nobody does this. Literally. The Center can’t find another instance when someone in the minority was “most effective” once, let alone back to back.

Also, Peters led the Senate Democrats’ campaign operations around this time. He worked with Republicans to pass bills in the day while shooting at them from the campaign side at night. Who pulls that off? 

Was this just a D.C. thing? No. He did the same thing in the state senate for eight years. 

With paying athletes, media rights, building a hotel on campus and DEI all ongoing hot issues, having a policy expert (as opposed to an academic) over the next year or two makes sense. 

2. Peters is in the “senior statesman” stage of his career. He’s leaving the U.S. Senate voluntarily at the end of the year because he’s done with elected politics. He’s literally a threat to no one politically.  The board leans 7-1 Democrat. Peters has a history of pulling Democrats (and Republicans) together. 

He’s not raising a flag and expecting all eight Trustees and the staff to salute. He gets wonky issues passed.

3. He knows the players involved. He knows Michigan State. He’s not coming into this brand new. After years in the political trenches, he’s got thick skin. A little minority dissent won’t rattle him. Shoot, he’s spent most of his political career in the minority. 

4. He’s got a lot of degrees. Four to be exact. One of those master’s degrees is from Michigan State. The guy likes to learn and sees value in higher education learning. The faculty should see some value in that. Plus, his family loves higher education, too. His wife, Colleen Ochoa Peters, is an Oakland University trustee. 

5. He’s run something before. Outside of serving as a Lieutenant Commander with the U.S. Navy Reserve, Peters was the state’s Lottery Commissioner, managing a multi-billion enterprise from 2003-08. 

Guskiewicz’s contract states that if he wants to leave without a good reason, he must give MSU six months’ notice. It’s difficult to see Michigan State forcing a lame duck president to stay until Christmas, but they could. Peters’ term wraps up about then. Timing works.

If Guskiewicz had a good reason for leaving (which is debatable) he can give 30 days’ notice. He could be gone by the end of the month.  

Peters would need to resign from the U.S. Senate early to take the job. That’s doable. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer could appoint the winner of the competitive Democratic primary and they would run the rest of the campaign with the title.

If the nominee isn’t interested in that head start, she could appoint a fill-in. There can’t be a shortage of people willing to be a U.S. Senator for a few months. 

Either way, it could work for everyone involved, the real winner being MSU.