Vice President & General Counsel

Benefit package includes: Medical, Dental, Vision, and Prescription insurance, Life insurance, Workers’ Compensation insurance, Unemployment insurance, and Total Disability insurance. Retirement: The University contributes 4% of the regular salary with up to 3% additional in matched contributions into the TIAA Retirement Program as well as eligibility for employee contributions into a 457(b) plan. Other benefits include tuition remission for employee, spouse, and employee’s dependent children under the age of 25 (this does not include the last two year of the PharmD program or the JD), and twenty days of paid medical leave per year.

The General Counsel reports to the President of the University and is a member of the Cabinet. The crucial metrics of success for the inaugural General Counsel will be determined by how well s/he is able to 1) establish and define a system of legal services to University stakeholders; 2) proactively anticipate and plan for coming legal and compliance issues; 3) play an effective role in providing knowledge and advice around institutional governance, policy, and procedural issues; and 4) build effective and lasting relationships with the University community.

Ohio Northern University seeks an experienced and strategic leader to serve as its inaugural Vice President and General Counsel.

The University seeks a General Counsel with a J.D. from an American Bar Association accredited law school and a member in good standing with the bar of their state and be eligible for license and standing in the State of Ohio.

The newly created General Counsel role is an exciting opportunity for an individual to play an important role in defining and implementing a more effective and new system of legal services within an institution of higher education.

The General Counsel will be a member of a very strong leadership team that is eager to collaborate with in-house legal counsel on complex issues facing the University to ensure that it flourishes as a lawful and ethical institution of higher education.

The Vice President and General Counsel is the chief legal officer of the University and oversees the provision of all legal services to the University.

Given today’s higher education environment, the General Counsel will encounter a large and complex set of issues that can include governance, employment law, financial matters, campus safety, crisis management, real estate, technology and cyber-security, athletics, contracting, federal and regional higher education regulation and compliance, state and local law, faculty and academic freedom, immigration law as it applies to permanent and visiting faculty and foreign students, enterprise risk management, intellectual property, estate planning and gifts, and general corporate law, especially with respect to nonprofit corporations.

The General Counsel has general charge of all legal matters pertaining to the University and its governing board; attends meetings of the board and its committees; is responsible for the representation of the University in all legal proceedings; and advises the board, its committees and officers, the President of the University, and other officers on legal questions as may be required. Amongst the issues that the University seeks for the General Counsel to provide particular in-house expertise is around labor and employment. Currently, this represents one the largest areas on which the University expends time and resources on. While the General Counsel will be expected to provide sound advice and solutions to a range of topics, s/he should also be ready to effectively engage outside counsel in appropriate instances.

The University relied on outside counsel for legal advice and that relationship has been a very fruitful and productive one over many years. The idea for establishing a new position of General Counsel arose from the University’s recently completed Foundation for Our Future Project. While the potential cost savings of in-house counsel played a factor, the University also recognized the institutional advantage of having a senior leader on staff who can serve as a strategic and legal advisor as initiatives and changes are considered; engage in critical thinking about opportunities and risks; and provide thoughtful analysis and counsel on a range of topics that confront the University. The inaugural Vice President and General Counsel will also have the opportunity to hire an administrative assistant to support the office.

• Ability to effectively analyze and interpret legal issues and provide competent legal advice and counsel on a wide range of issues and succinctly write a memorandum that can be understood by non-legal personnel;

• Proactive, responsive, organized and a proven ability to prioritize, multi-task, and manage a broad portfolio of complex work;

• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills with the ability to present in a clear and concise fashion;

• Skilled in handling confidential and/or sensitive matters;

• Ability and interest in building diverse and broad relationships in a shared governance setting;

• J.D. from a law school approved for accreditation by the American Bar Association; a member in good standing of the bar of the supreme court of the state in which s/he practices law; and the prompt eligibility for such license and standing in the State of Ohio

• Extensive experience with higher education legal issues; either as in-house counsel in a college or university or outside counsel in a firm with a considerable higher education practice;

• Experience with employment/labor/human resources issues in a higher education context is preferred;

• Experience interfacing with executive leadership, including a board;

• Committed to an environment that welcomes and supports diversity of identity, thought, perspective, and background.

Founded in 1871, Ohio Northern University (ONU) is an independent, selective and comprehensive university. The University has been affiliated with the United Methodist Church since 1899, instilling core values while offering religious freedom on campus. Today ONU has an enrollment of approximately 3,000 students from 38 states and 23 countries and offers more than 70 programs of study across five colleges (arts & sciences, business, law, engineering, and pharmacy). Capitalizing on its historic reputation for quality, ONU is poised to move to a position of significantly greater regional and national prominence.

Numerous rankings consistently give ONU high marks. The University is ranked fourth in the Midwest among regional colleges in the 2019 Best Colleges ranking in U.S. News & World Report and is fourth among Midwest regional Colleges in the “Great Schools, Great Prices” category. Washington Monthly ranks the University sixth on its “Top 150 Baccalaureate Colleges” list. In addition, ONU is included in the College Choice “Best Colleges in Ohio” rankings. The Princeton Review includes ONU among its “Best 382 Colleges” and names it a “Best Regional College.” The University is also listed in “Creative Colleges.”

Ohio Northern University is situated in rural northwest Ohio in the historic village of Ada (population 5,582). Columbus, Dayton, and Toledo are within easy reach. The beautiful 342-acre campus is made up of 60-plus modern residences and academic buildings, including the Freed Center for the Performing Arts that showcases several performing arts events each year. Guests of the University, as well as the public, enjoy the luxury and comfort of The Inn at Ohio Northern University. More than $100 million in capital projects over the past decade have helped maintain the beauty and functionality of the campus. The University enjoys an excellent relationship with the local community and a broad base of ONU alumni. This is evidenced, in part, by strong fundraising, and alumni and community participation in the life and support of the institution.

To Apply, Inquire and Nominate:

Interested applicants are invited to submit their resumes and cover letters to:

Tim McFeeley & Kahn Lee
Isaacson, Miller
1300 19th Street, N.W., Suite 700
Washington, D.C. 20036

Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled. Electronic submissions are strongly preferred and can be made at www.imsearch.com/7166.

Inquiries and nominations for this position should be made via the same web address.

Ohio Northern University is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer. Ohio Northern University does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, national or ethnic origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, or disability