Vice Chancellor and General Counsel

The California State University

Vice Chancellor and General Counsel

 

The Office of the Chancellor of the California State University System (CSU), the largest, most diverse, and most consequential university system in the United States, seeks a highly skilled and experienced leader to serve as Vice Chancellor and General Counsel (VC and GC).  

The California State University System

The CSU's 22 universities across California enroll nearly 500,000 diverse students, making it the world's largest four-year public higher education system. More than half of CSU students are from traditionally underrepresented backgrounds, and more than one-quarter of undergraduates are first-generation college students. Because the CSU's 22 universities provide a high-quality education at an incredible value, they are rated among the best in the nation for promoting social mobility in national college rankings from U.S. News & World Report, the Wall Street Journal, and Washington Monthly. 

With universities stretching from Humboldt in the north to San Diego in the south, the CSU is woven into the economic and social fabric of the state and provides affordable, high-quality education to meet California's evolving workforce needs. To learn more about the CSU, visit https://www.calstate.edu/. 

The Office of General Counsel

The Office of General Counsel (OGC) provides, manages and coordinates all legal services for the California State University. The General Counsel is the chief legal officer with full authority and responsibility for the legal affairs of the institution. This includes providing representation and advice to the Board of Trustees, the Chancellor, university leaders, and all 22 CSU campuses. The General Counsel approves the retention of outside counsel and has authority over the resolution of claims. In addition, the General Counsel also serves as secretary of the Board of Trustees. The OGC is a collaborative, problem-solving team of 37 attorneys and 16 support staff committed to providing excellent service and support. The office develops proactive partnerships with campus and systemwide clients, working closely with them to understand and achieve their objectives while minimizing risk and cost. The OGC helps the CSU meet emerging challenges while advancing its commitment to educational opportunity, equity, academic excellence and public service. Departments within and services provided by the OGC include: 

Legal Services – Legal services are centralized to facilitate and streamline the efficient delivery of consistent advice. Within this framework, each university is assigned a dedicated university counsel who manages all legal affairs for that university. In addition to making regular campus visits, university counsel interacts daily with the president's cabinet and other campus leadership to support their work. University counsel also manages all litigation arising out of their assigned university. Five full-time litigators handle all types of litigation in all types of venues. The litigators also handle administrative hearings involving employee discipline or dismissal, and arbitrations concerning the denial of tenure or promotion for faculty. 

OGC Attorneys – Attorneys are assigned to one of six OGC teams – Business & Finance, Civil Rights, External Affairs, Human Resources, Litigation, and Student Success & Academic Affairs – to better serve the functional divisions in the Office of the Chancellor. OGC attorneys are also responsible for developing expertise in areas of law where issues arise with enough frequency to warrant specialized skill within the OGC. These specialty areas include the First Amendment, athletics, California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), information security, collective bargaining, discrimination and harassment, disability accommodation, student fees, contracts and procurement, Public Records Act requests, open meetings laws, Title IX, intellectual property, and tax issues. Deputy General Counsel assists General Counsel with the day-to-day management of the OGC, provides systemwide and campus-based legal advice on a variety of legal issues and serves as the assistant secretary to the Board of Trustees.

 

About the Position

The Vice Chancellor and General Counsel reports directly to the Chancellor of the CSU and has a dotted line report to the Board of Trustees. As a key member of the Executive Leadership Team, the VC and GC provides strategic legal leadership and counsel to the Chancellor, Board of Trustees, and senior executives across the CSU as the System's chief legal officer. The VC and GC also serves as Secretary to the Board of Trustees and is responsible for Board process, including compliance with the Open Meeting Act. In this capacity, the VC and GC works closely with the Office of the Board of Trustees to ensure routine good governance practice, oversees a continuing review of best practices in university governance, and maintains the corporate seal and has responsibility for its use. 

The VC and GC provides comprehensive legal guidance across the full spectrum of the 

CSU System's activities and advises on matters of governance, operations, institutional risk, compliance, contracts, employment, academic and student affairs, research and public records, and serves as a trusted advisor on issues with significant legal, financial, reputational, and operational implications. The position performs highly complex and sophisticated legal work and exercises broad discretion and independent judgment in advising CSU System and its senior executive leadership. The VC and GC advises on legal matters involving compliance with municipal, state, and federal regulations and serves as a key resource on matters of policy development and adherence to higher-education regulatory standards. The VC and GC also oversees the work of a limited group of outside attorneys (including the California Attorney General), retained to provide legal services for the CSU. 

To view the full Leadership Profile, please visit https://www.spaexec.com/pd/CSU-VC-GC.pdf

Applications, Inquiries, and Nominations

The Search Committee will begin reviewing applications immediately and continue until the conclusion of the search process. Applicants must submit a detailed letter of interest that addresses the priorities and responsibilities outlined in this profile and a current curriculum vitae or resume. Nomination letters should include the name and contact information of the nominee. All applications and nominations will be handled with the strictest confidence. Inquiries and nominations can be submitted to the search consultants listed below. 

Application materials in MS Word or PDF format should be submitted to: 

Alberto Pimentel, Managing Partner
Sal Venegas Jr., Partner
Email: apsearch@spaexec.com
Refer to code “CSU-VC&GC” in the subject line
SP&A Executive Search
6512 Painter Avenue
Whittier, CA 90601 

The target salary range for this position is $395,552 to $450,465 annually, commensurate with education and experience. 

Successful candidates for this position will be offered the position contingent upon a satisfactory criminal record check. 

California State University considers qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, ancestry, age, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, genetic information, medical condition, disability, marital status, or protected veteran status.

To apply: https://apptracker.jobelephant.com/display.php?ad=9878660

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