Gary Peters

Retiring U.S. Sen. Gary Peters, D-Bloomfield Township, will return to academia when his term ends next year.

On Monday, the University of Southern California announced that Peters will co-lead its Center for the Political Future at the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences.

“I’ve learned a lot over the years about what it takes to get things done at all levels of government, and I look forward to sharing my experience with students,” Peters said. “But I expect to learn from them, too. They’re the ones who are going to take the reins next, and I will do whatever I can to help prepare them for the future.”

Peters will serve alongside Republican strategist Mike Murphy, who remains co-director of the center jointly led by a Democrat and a Republican.

Peters’ role was described as helping to expand the center’s presence in Washington, D.C.

USC Dornsife Dean James Bullock said Peters, “brings an extraordinary combination of public service, bipartisan leadership and real experience getting things done in Washington.”

“He has spent his career showing that you can hold strong political convictions and still work productively with people who see the world differently,” Bullock said.

Peters announced his Senate retirement in January 2025, leaving behind an open seat and setting up a competitive midterm election to determine his replacement.

Republican former Rep. Mike Rogers is competing against Democratic former public health official Abdul El-Sayed ahead of the Tuesday, Nov. 3 general election.

Rogers has painted El-Sayed as among “the most fringe extremists in the nation,” while El-Sayed has called Rogers a “sock puppet for Donald Trump.”

As Peters leaves lawmaking, he will return to a career in higher education that began decades ago.

Prior to his two terms in the U.S. Senate, Peters was elected to office in the U.S. House of Representatives, where he served six years beginning in 2008.

The Pontiac-born politician’s elected life began as a member of the Rochester Hill City Council, where he served from 1991-93. Peters also spent several decades as a financial advisor.

But the former lieutenant commander in the U.S. Navy Reserve also spent time as an educator at Central Michigan University, Oakland University and Wayne State University.

At Oakland and Wayne State, he taught strategic management and finance.

He was working toward a doctorate in political philosophy at Michigan State University, with the intent to become a professor.

Peters said what drew him back to higher education was the opportunity to engage more young people.

“I look at this as a capstone of my years in public service at the local, state and federal level,” Peters said. “It’s never been more important to bring people together, and there’s no better place to start than working with students and getting them engaged in civic activism.”

“It’s critically important that the next generation take the reins and work to find positive solutions to the tough problems we have,” he added.

As part of his goal to expand the center’s presence in Washington, D.C., Peters said he will divide his time between Los Angeles and Washington, teaching courses on both campuses.

“I would like to help bridge the gap between academia and practical policymaking in Washington,” he said. “I intend to bring professors doing amazing work in all sorts of fields to D.C., so that they can have a hands-on role in making their ideas become public policy.”